BEIJING, Aug 31 (Reuters) - China issued the highest typhoon warning on Thursday as Typhoon Saola crawled closer to the southeastern coastline, threatening Hong Kong and other major manufacturing hubs in neighbouring Guangdong province.
Chinese forecasters issued a typhoon red warning at 6 a.m. (2200 GMT).
Saola will make landfall along the coast somewhere from Huilai County in Guangdong to Hong Kong on the afternoon to the night of Sept. 1, the center said.
As Saola edges closer to Guangdong, winds over the region will strengthen gradually, the Hong Kong Observatory said, noting that it will raise its strong wind Signal to No.
Saola will also bring storm surges to coastal low-lying areas, the Hong Kong Observatory noted, estimating Saola is currently about 440km (270 miles) from the metropolis.
Persons:
Saola, Bernard Orr, Ethan Wang, Lincoln
Organizations:
National Meteorological Center, China Railway, Hong Kong Observatory, Thomson
Locations:
BEIJING, China, Hong Kong, Guangdong, Guangdong province, Huilai County, Shanghai, Fujian, Shishi