Typhoon Saola has intensified to category 4 and will pass very close to Hong Kong and Guangdong province as a super typhoon in the following few hours. Maximum sustained winds are 140mph.

The storm is expected to bring significant storm surge, urban flooding, and strong winds.

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Update: 31st of August, 11:30 am UTC

Super Typhoon Saola is beginning to approach Hong Kong; landfall is expected in the next 24 hours. The typhoon should slightly weaken to category 2 as it grazes the coast.

The trajectory of the storm is increasingly veering towards the west, heightening the likelihood that it may bypass Hong Kong to the south.

While a landfall in eastern Guangdong would minimally affect Hong Kong's metropolitan regions, a southern passage could present different implications.

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Update: 30th of August, 9:30 am UTC

Typhoon Saola began approaching the southern tip of Taiwan, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the area. Landfall, however, is not expected. The typhoon should continue its trajectory toward China.

Saola remains storm category 4; sustained winds are 155 mph. Forecasts from JMA, BoM-A, and other models predict weakening once the passes along Taiwan. JMA forecasted the storm should arrive in Hong Kong as typhoon category 2, but further weakening is very much possible.

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Update: 29th of August, 10:30 am UTC

Saola will cross the Babuyan Islands in the northern Philippines over the next 24 hours as it moves westwards towards China. The storm maintains its Category 4 status with sustained winds of 140 mph.

Forecasts from all 4 weather models (JMA, UKM, BoM-A, and ECMWF) show the storm will not directly hit Taiwan’s mainland on Wednesday, but its outer bands are expected to graze the island's southern cities.

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Taiwan's meteorological institutions have released advisories concerning severe rainfall and robust wind currents, with particular emphasis beginning on Wednesday. Warned of high waves and swells, making boat journeys dangerous.

Prolonged downpours are forecasted to impact Taiwan's eastern and southern territories, spanning from Wednesday to Thursday. Additionally, there is a possibility that the typhoon will strengthen further when it passes Taiwan, according to ECMWF forecast track.

The typhoon is then expected to proceed towards China's southern Fujian and Guangdong provinces.

Update: 28th of August, 7:30 am UTC

After traveling in a loop near northern Luzon, Philippines, since Thursday, Saola has significantly strengthened and reached Category 4 status. The storm is affecting the northern Philippines with heavy rain and flooding in low-lying areas with a wind strength of 130 mph. Saola is now expected to weaken and continue tracking east of The Philippines.

The latest forecasts from JMA, UKM, BoM-A, and ECMWF agree on the northwest direction toward Taiwan and Hong Kong. It may hit the southern tip of Taiwan on Wednesday and China's southern coast on Thursday.

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The future intensity of the typhoon remains unclear; it could either escalate back to category 4 or maintain its status as a category 1 or 2. Meteorological predictions have yet to reach a consensus.

Taiwan plans to release a sea warning and possibly a land warning as the typhoon approaches.

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