Macau issues alerts and corrects typhoon forecast

Macau has raised alert levels for the passage of Super Typhoon Ragasa, and has also adjusted its expected path closer to the region, according to the latest forecasts from the Meteorological Service.

Authorities raised the alert level to signal 3 at 5:00 am local time on Tuesday (10:00 pm Monday in Lisbon), and announced that it will be upgraded to signal 8 at 5:00 pm local time (10:00 am in Lisbon).

"The intensity of Super Typhoon Ragasa and the threat of storm surge [abnormal rise in sea level during a storm, measured as the height of water above the expected normal astronomical tide] could reach levels similar to or even higher than those of 'Hato' and 'Mangkhut', respectively in 2017 and 2018, which constitutes a serious threat to Macau," announced the communication office of the Executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR).

"Ragasa is expected to make close approach to the mouth of the Pearl River on Wednesday, September 24, with winds of 9 to 11 degrees, accompanied by very severe storm surge and widespread flooding," the office added.

"At 11:00 a.m. local time (4:00 a.m. in Lisbon), the tropical cyclone was positioned approximately 490 kilometers southeast of Macau," a note published on the website of the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) said. The SMG forecasts it will move west-northwest at approximately 20 kilometers per hour across the northern part of the South China Sea.

Officials added that signal 9 is expected to be raised around midnight on Tuesday, with a strong possibility of signal 10, the highest, being raised in the early hours of Wednesday.

The tropical storm warning scale consists of signals 1, 3, 8, 9 and 10, with the issuance depending on the proximity of the storm and the intensity of the wind.

"Typhoon Ragasa is expected to approach the Pearl River Estuary between Wednesday morning and daylight hours, with the possibility of passing within 100 kilometers of Macau," according to the SMG. The SMG previously predicted the typhoon's eye would pass more than 100 kilometers away.

"Hurricane-force winds — Beaufort scale 12 or higher — are expected to persist, accompanied by heavy rain, thunderstorms, and severe gusts," the weather service added.

Macau residents on higher floors have been urged to take precautions against the potentially serious impacts of extreme winds.

Significant rainfall is also expected, which, if it coincides with the astronomical high tide on Wednesday, opens the possibility of flooding of a magnitude comparable to that observed during typhoons Hato and Mangkhut.

In September 2018, Typhoon Mangkhut left 40 people injured and caused severe flooding in the territory. A year earlier, Typhoon Hato, considered the worst typhoon to hit Macau in over 50 years , left ten dead and 240 injured.

The SMG (State of Minas Gerais) announced the raising of the orange storm alert at 1:00 p.m. local time this Tuesday, a seven-point decrease in mainland Portugal. The probability of the alert being raised to red between late afternoon and early evening is "relatively high."

Macau's chief executive, Sam Hou Fai, who visited low-lying neighborhoods on Monday, warned of the forecast for Ragasa, a super typhoon with a very wide front.

Due to the tropical storm, classes in preschool, primary, secondary, and special education will be suspended on Tuesday and Wednesday. Public services, with the exception of emergency services and civil protection, will also be closed.

The last crossings on the bridge connecting Macau to Hong Kong, as well as ferry departures connecting the two Chinese special administrative regions, were scheduled for 1:00 p.m. local time. Other maritime connections between Macau and Mainland China, as well as the Macau Cruise, were suspended.