The Hong Kong Observatory has said the No 3 typhoon signal will remain in force for the rest of Sunday, with a tropical cyclone expected to skirt about 200km (124 miles) southwest of the city on Monday morning.

The forecaster issued the No 3 signal at 2.40am on Sunday, as Tropical Storm Tapah moved closer to Hong Kong and intensified.

The No 1 signal was raised at 10.20pm on Friday. It was the ninth storm to hit Hong Kong and trigger a typhoon warning signal this year.

The Observatory said it would assess on Sunday night the need for a higher storm warning, depending on how intense the tropical cyclone became and how close it got to Hong Kong.

The forecaster said that Tapah – the Malay word for a type of giant freshwater catfish – would skirt about 200km to the southwest of Hong Kong on Monday, when a No 8 gale with a wind speed of 63 to 75km/h (39 to 47mph) was expected in offshore and high ground areas.