The Hong Kong Observatory said at 9 a.m. Friday, the storm was centered about 93 miles southeast of the island and was forecast to move northwest or west-northwest at about 8.5 mph toward the Pearl River estuary.

China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported Hong Kong authorities had canceled most ferry services connecting other islands and neighboring Macao because of gale force winds.

Trading on the stock exchange was delayed. The airport authority planned to cancel several flights.

CNN reported the storm was churning through the South China Sea with sustained winds of about 63 mph. It could strike the city by Friday evening.

Up to 250,000 people on mainland China had been evacuated from coastal areas ahead of the storm, the report said.