At about 7 pm yesterday, a storm signal was issued that classified Typhoon Koppu as an 8 [out of a possible 10]. Eight means that there will be winds at and above approximately 40 mph. Practically, it is significant because it is the number that mostly shuts down the city.
Electricity has been on continuously and the weather has not been that bad. However, I went to visit some people in Soho around 8 and the winds were somewhat strong in some parts. To me it felt like the gusts that you feel on a windy day in a dense city. The air is calm in some places and newspapers are blowing around and making walking slightly harder in others.
I have never experienced anything stronger than a tropical storm in Miami. Typhoon Koppu did not even measure up to one of those. But, that might be because (1) it did not directly strike Hong Kong and (2) my apartment could be benefiting from being in one of those pockets where things remain relatively calm because of neighboring structures blocking the wind.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong's orientation included a typhoon preparedness video. The footage showed Chinese people being knocked down by wind and getting drenched by horizontal rain. This did not occur. But, the real danger is the same as what I have heard is most dangerous about hurricanes as well: strong winds blow around random junk. I saw a few pieces of debris flying around on the way back and decided that it might be a good thing to follow the instructions and stay inside for the rest of the night.
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