Super Typhoon Yagi is set to be downgraded to a No 3 signal at 12.40pm on Friday as the storm moves away from Hong Kong. "In the past few hours, Yagi continued to take a more westerly track and departed gradually from Hong Kong. General winds over Hong Kong are expected to weaken gradually," the observatory said in an update. "The observatory will issue the strong wind signal, No 3 at 12.40pm." But forecasters warned the storm will continue to bring squally showers and winds to Hong Kong. The news means workers will have to head back to the office for a typhoon-shortened workday, and evening schools will hold classes as scheduled. But the lowering of the T8 signal will come too late to salvage the trading day, with Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing announcing that all trading sessions on Friday have been suspended. A new policy allowing markets to continue trading during typhoons is set to take effect later this month. Hong Kong escaped major damage from the super typhoon, with around 50 reports of fallen trees, one case of flooding and no landslides. Overnight, three people sought medical treatment at Accident and Emergency Departments of public hospitals during the passage of the storm. Air traffic also escaped major disruption, with the Airport Authority reporting that most flights were unaffected by Yagi. Steven Yiu, the authority’s executive director of operations, said operations were at about 80 percent of the normal level "If you use [Thursday's] number, among the 900 flights or so, actually there were just 50 cancellations. The other flights were on time for the most part," he said. "Most importantly, flight departures [on Thursday evening] and [Friday morning's] arrivals for long haul flights were all on time. Some long hauls even arrived at the Hong Kong airport early. So the delays weren't serious." He added that many passengers spent the night at the airport because of disruption to ground transport, filling up the rest area. More than 1,000 staff stayed on to offer help to those affected. _____________________________Last updated: 2024-09-06 HKT 10:05
