HONG KONG, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Observatory issued the No. 10 hurricane signal, the top level warning, at 9:40 a.m. on Sunday.

This means that winds with speeds of 118 km per hour or more are expected.

The No. 10 hurricane signal will remain in force for a few hours, according to the observatory.

At 10:00 a.m., severe typhoon Mangkhut was centered about 150 km south-southeast of Hong Kong, near 21.0 degrees north and 114.5 degrees east, and is forecast to move west-northwest at about 30 km per hour towards the coast of Guangdong province in the Chinese mainland.

Mangkhut continues to move steadily towards the coast of western Guangdong, edging further r to Hong Kong with a high threat.

According to the present forecast track, Mangkhut will be st to the Pearl River Delta around noontime, skirting about 100 km to the south of Hong Kong.