Typhoon Koinu Takes a Rain Check on Golden Week

By Billy Jiang, October 7, 2023

As the 'Golden Week' holiday unfolds, it seems Typhoon Koinu has decided to be well-behaved and not crash the vacation party!

While we predicted a potential rendezvous between this holiday and a typhoon, it seems that the tropical storm got the memo about everyone's vacation plans.

Newly formed Typhoon Koinu is currently swirling over the South China Sea with a maximum wind speed of 15 on the Beaufort scale, equivalent to a robust 48 meters per second.

Starting from October 6, Typhoon Koinu is gradually making its presence felt with rain and wind impacts along the coasts of Guangdong and Fujian provinces.

It is forecasted to approach the western part of Guangdong and the eastern part of Hainan Island while maintaining its intensity or slowly weakening.

On the morning of October 7, China's Central Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow typhoon warning.

Tracking Typhoon Koinu. Forecasted by China's Central Meteorological Observatory

For the Greater Bay Area, intermittent thunderstorms are expected in the coastal areas from Shenzhen to Shantou on October 7, with localized heavy rain.

There will be another rain event on October 8 and 9, but the rainfall amount is highly correlated with the distance between the typhoon and the coastal area of Guangdong, as well as the duration of the typhoon's stay in nearby waters.

Shenzhen and the surrounding areas have seen a relatively high frequency of typhoon-related disruptions over the past two months, and high-speed rail suspensions have become a routine practice for local authorities.

The Shenzhen railway department has announced that train services traveling along the Hangzhou-Shenzhen Line and the Meizhou-Shantou Line heading towards destinations such as Chaozhou, Meizhou, Xiamen, and Fuzhou will be suspended on October 7.

Adjustments will be made dynamically on October 8 based on the specific impact of the typhoon.

For those planning to travel to or from the Shenzhen area in the near future, it's advisable to stay updated on transportation information to avoid any itinerary inconveniences.

Stay tuned for real-time updates on the Greater Bay Area by following our WeChat official account, ThatsGBA.

[Cover image via NIAID-RML]