Hong Kong’s weather forecaster has said it will issue the typhoon signal No 3 at 1:20 pm on Saturday as Tropical Cyclone Noul moved steadily across the northeastern part of the South China Sea, intensifying slightly.

“Local winds are expected to strengthen gradually later today, and there will be more squally showers,” the Hong Kong Observatory said in a bulletin at 11:45 am on Saturday.

Warning that Noul’s outer rainbands are affecting the coastal areas and there will be swells, the observatory advised people to stay away from the shoreline and not to engage in water sports.

The Education Board has suspended afternoon classes of kindergartens, schools for children with physical disability and schools for children with intellectual disability for Saturday.

At 11 am, Typhoon Noul was estimated to be about 370 kilometers east-southeast of Hong Kong and is forecast to move west-northwest at about 20 km per hour across the northeastern part of the South China Sea, in the general direction of the coast of eastern Guangdong.

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“According to the present forecast track, Noul will make landfall over the vicinity of Huizhou to Shanwei tomorrow (Sunday) morning,” reads the HKO bulletin.

Depending on the distance between the landfall location of Noul and Hong Kong, the size of its gale winds, and local wind conditions, the observatory will assess the need for issuing higher tropical cyclone warning signals later Sunday.

Under its influence, there will be frequent heavy squally showers and thunderstorms on Sunday, it added.

At 8:40 pm on Friday, the HKO issued the standby signal No 1.