Minor flooding was reported in parts of Hong Kong on Friday morning as Super Typhoon Saola edged closer to the city.

In Lei Yue Mun, sea water started rushing into village houses from 10am.

A restaurant owner in the village, surnamed Lee, said she made preparations overnight to protect her equipment, noting that her kitchen was flooded in just five minutes when Super Typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong in 2018.

"In the past, our refridgerators would be damaged by flood water, so this time I put wooden boards under them and used plastic bags to wrap them up," she said.

The observatory had warned of serious flooding in low-lying coastal areas when water levels rise significantly later on Friday, with the maximum sea level being similar to that of Mangkhut.

Authorities said the worst hit areas could include Shing Mun River, Tai Po, Sha Tau Kok and Sai Kung

But a spokesman from the Hong Kong Meteorological Society, Leung Wing-mo, said he believes the highest tides will be over before Saola is at its closest.

"It's estimated that Saola will be at its closest to Hong Kong at around midnight, but the tides won't be at their highest then. The highest tide was at around noon," he told an RTHK programme.