Hong Kong’s Observatory maintained the standby signal no.1 throughout Wednesday as the tropical depression over the South China Sea intensified into a tropical storm.

Tropical Storm Ewiniar will linger around the Leizhou Peninsula and maintain a distance of about 400 kilometres from the city.

“Unless Ewiniar intensifies significantly, the chance for issuing the Strong Wind Signal no.3 for today is not high. The movement and development of Ewiniar over the next few days will be rather erratic with high uncertainties,” the Observatory said.

The standby signal no.1 was issued at 11:20am on Tuesday.

On Wednesday the Thunderstorm Warning was issued at 1:55am, and the Special Announcement of Flooding in Northern New Territories was issued at 1:15pm. Both were cancelled at 6pm.

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The Amber Rainstorm Warning was briefly in effect from 1:10pm to 2:50pm, and parts of Lantau Island and western New Territories recorded over 50mm rainfall.

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The Observatory expects heavy showers and squalls over the next one to two days.

Holmes Chan is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press. He covers local news with a focus on law, politics, and social movements. He studied law and literature at the University of Hong Kong.