Super Typhoon Saola is anticipated to pass close by the southern sea area of Hong Kong from late tonight to the early morning of tomorrow, the Shenzhen Meteorological Observatory said in a social media post at around 9:30 p.m.

As of 9 p.m. tonight, Saola was positioned about 65 kilometers southeast of Shenzhen over the sea, with a maximum wind force near the center of level 16 (55 meters/second), the observatory said.

The observatory said that in the next hour, wind forces across the city will continue to intensify from east to west. The wind and rain will peak from tonight to tomorrow morning. Citizens are advised to stay at home and not go out.

The maximum gusts in the city’s coastal areas are expected to reach Level 14-15, accompanied by heavy rainstorms.  

The emergency services at local public hospitals are available, although some of the outpatient services have been suspended this afternoon. All work, business operations and commercial activities have been suspended from 4 p.m., and public transportation halted from 7 p.m.

Expressways have also been closed starting 7 p.m., and those on the expressways are ordered to leave from the nearest exits, according to a notice from Shenzhen’s traffic police bureau. 

The high-speed rail services between Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station and the mainland have been suspended until further notice, according to Hong Kong's MTR Corporation.

Provincewide, more than 780,000 people have been evacuated to safety in Guangdong ahead of the likely landfall of Saola, according to the latest official figures.

As of today, primary schools, middle schools and kindergartens in 13 cities of Guangdong, including Shenzhen, have pushed back the start of the new semester to Monday.

Nearly 85,000 fishery vessels in the province have returned to their harbors, and 82 coastal resorts have been temporarily closed.