AKIPRESS.COM - Hong Kong is preparing for the strongest typhoon this year as the city’s major airlines canceled flights from Monday night and a jewelry company warned it may postpone its shareholder meeting, the Hong Kong Observatory said.

Typhoon Nida was about 390 kilometers (242 miles) east-southeast of the city as of 2 p.m. on Monday local time and forecast to edge closer to nearby Guangdong province, intensifying gradually, Bloomberg reports.

The windstorm is expected to be near Hong Kong from tonight through Tuesday morning and a direct hit would have a severe effect, it said.

The observatory hoisted the Strong Wind Signal No. 3 at 11:40 a.m. It will consider issuing Storm Signal No. 8, the third-highest tropical cyclone warning, between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Monday.