The observatory said on Thursday that it will consider issuing the Strong Wind Signal No. 3 on Friday night, as Typhoon Koinu moves closer to the territory.

As of 5pm on Thursday, Koinu was about 580km east of Hong Kong and is forecast to move west at about 10km per hour across the Taiwan Strait.

“With Koinu gradually edging closer to the coast of eastern Guangdong, winds are expected to strengthen gradually over the region tomorrow afternoon. The observatory will consider issuing the Strong Wind Signal No. 3 from [Friday] night to Saturday morning,” acting senior scientific officer Kok Mang-hin said.

“Under the influence of the northeast monsoon, Koinu will weaken slightly over the coastal waters of eastern Guangdong… the need for issuance of higher tropical cyclone warning signals depends on its intensity and its distance from the Pearl River Estuary when it edges closer to the region.”

The storm left at least one person dead in Taiwan as it grazed its southern tip, lashing the island with the strongest winds it has ever recorded and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes.

Koinu made landfall on the island's southernmost Cape Eluanbi on Thursday morning and was weakening as it moved into the Taiwan Strait by 3pm.

An 84-year-old woman died in her home in western Taichung city after she was injured by glass shattered due to the gales.

More than 300 others were injured. (Additional reporting by AFP)
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Last updated: 2023-10-05 HKT 20:48