Black rain warning down after more than 11 hours
The weather forecaster says the amber rainstorm alert is expected to be in force for a few hours. Photo: RTHK
The Observatory replaced the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal with the amber alert at 5.05pm on Tuesday.
"The Amber Rainstorm Warning Signal is expected to remain in force in the next couple of hours," the forecaster said.
"Under the influence of the southwesterly airstream, there will still be showers locally [on Wednesday morning]. Showers will be heavy at times at first."
The top black alert was issued at 5.50am and remained in place for more than 11 hours – the second-longest on record.
In September 2023, torrential downpours prompted the forecaster the issue the black warning signal for over 16 hours.
Tuesday's deluge also led to flooded roads, people trapped in vehicles and many services disrupted, with the weather forecaster recording the highest daily rainfall for August since records began.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
4 black rain days in a week show Hong Kong's climate fight urgency
The past week has seen four incidences of black rain . On Tuesday, two separate warnings were issued before 9am, so parents were all working from home as kindergarten and holiday activities were cancelled, leaving the city much quieter than usual. This quiet prompted me to ask three questions. Is this the usual bad weather or driven by climate change ? If it is long-term change, what are the impacts and costs? And what are we doing about it? According to the Hong Kong Observatory, annual rainfall is increasing slowly but occurring in much more intense periods . Black rainstorms are more frequent and intense, meaning more intense run-off. The most recent black rain warning was the second-longest on record, with the longest coming in 2023 . Meanwhile, typhoons have increased noticeably in strength. Why is this? There is a general agreement that the Earth's climate is changing because of a combination of natural and human factors, including variation in sunlight, Earth's orbital changes and volcanic activity. However, natural effects have been overshadowed by the increasing atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases from human activity since the Industrial Revolution The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has produced six assessment reports since 1990. As the science becomes clearer, each report is more certain, urgent and strident than the last. Human-induced climate change has become a major challenge of our time, and now it is on the streets of Hong Kong. The Observatory has recorded sea surface temperatures increasing at 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade since 1975. Air temperatures are increasing, too, at a rate of 0.37 degrees per decade since 1995, a rate more than twice as fast as the trend from 1885 to 2024.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong needs stronger plan for a future of more frequent extreme weather
– the city needs to be better prepared as extreme weather events hit more often than before. Hong Kong's emergency response system has been put to the test again as heavy rain battered the region. With four black rainstorm warnings issued over the past eight days – the latest one lasting just over 11 hours yesterdaythe city needs to be better prepared as extreme weather events hit more often than before. Advertisement Thanks to the city's experience of coping with the vagaries of the wet season, including typhoons, over the years, a relatively well-established government mechanism has been in place. But a reality check came as another record-breaking downpour wreaked havoc. The Observatory had recorded 355.7mm of rainfall at its headquarters in Tsim Sha Tsui by 2pm, making it the highest daily rainfall recorded in August since records began in 1884. This is the first time there have been four highest-level rainstorm alerts in eight days. Unlike the first two alerts last Tuesday and Saturday , which caught many by surprise, the authorities had warned of torrential rain on Monday evening. But the city is apparently still not fully prepared. There were at least 70 flooding and 15 landslide reports. The images of roads blocked by mud and vehicles half-submerged in water have raised questions over the government's flood and landslide prevention control. Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said that the government has a well-established response system for inclement weather, with the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre coordinating various government departments to handle flooding, fallen trees and blocked roads. But some affected residents described the impact as more devastating than that of the ' once-in-500 years ' deluge in September 2023, when the black rainstorm warning was in force for a record 16 hours. Credit goes to the government for its advance preparation strategy to reduce the impact and damage brought by typhoons in recent years. But this has also effectively raised expectations of its performance in battling weather-induced crises, especially when the more unpredictable nature of rainstorms leaves little time for public preparation. The havoc wrought by inclement weather underlines the need for stronger and more sustainable preparation. The authorities should go beyond having ad hoc high-level steering meetings each time and make drainage, slope safety and other enhancement works ongoing priorities. Advertisement Acts of God are beyond human control but their impact can be mitigated by more vigorous advance preparation. As extreme weather events tend to hit more frequently than once every decade or century, as in the past, the new normal calls for more concerted efforts from all sectors to weather the greater number of storms.
HKFP
2 days ago
- HKFP
More extreme weather expected due to climate change, ex-Observatory official says after week's 4th black rain signal
Hong Kong can expect more extreme weather due to the impact of climate change, a former Observatory official has said, as the city hoisted its fourth black rainstorm signal of the year in a week. Leung Wing-mo, former assistant director of the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), said on Tuesday that climate change was bringing more extreme conditions to the city – both very dry and very wet weather. 'By nature, the weather fluctuates,' Leung told HKFP in Cantonese. 'Climate change exacerbates these fluctuations, causing weather to be more unstable and more extreme.' The meteorologist's comments come as heavy rain continued to batter Hong Kong, flooding streets and prompting landslide warnings. The Observatory raised the black rainstorm twice within six hours. It first hoisted the signal at 11.45pm on Monday before lowering it to the red rainstorm warning at 2.10am on Tuesday, then amber at 3am. The red rainstorm warning returned at 5.20am on Tuesday. It was upgraded to the black rainstorm signal half an hour later, before it was lowered more than 11 hours later, at 5.05pm, to amber. According to the Airport Authority, the airport's operations were 'largely normal' under the rainstorm in the morning, with 61 departure flights and 40 arrival flights delayed. The MTR closed multiple exits temporarily on Tuesday, including in Kwun Tong, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, and Wan Chai. The weather is expected to remain 'unsettled' on Wednesday, with heavy showers forecast, the Observatory said. The rain will ease on Thursday, and hot weather should return over the weekend. Flooding According to the HKO, 355.7 millimetres of rain were recorded at its headquarters in Tsim Sha Tsui as of 2pm on Tuesday, already making it the highest daily rainfall in August since records began in 1884. The Drainage Services Department said that as of 1pm, it had handled 25 cases of flooding. They included an outdoor car park in Po Lam where around 20 cars were partially submerged in muddy rainwater, as well as the entrance to Queen Mary Hospital in Pok Fu Lam, where flooding prompted the temporary diversion of some patients. Leung, who was the assistant director of the Observatory from 2009 to 2011, said the recent rainstorms were severe, but not the worst the city had seen. He pointed to heavy rains causing the '618 landslide' in mid-June 1972, which killed 138 people in Mid Levels and Sau Mau Ping. More recently, in September 2023, a torrential downpour that flooded subway stations was termed 'once-in-500-years' rainfall and flooding by the authorities. There were at least two casualties and over 140 people injured, according to the Observatory. The rainfall in recent days did not rival those two weather events, Leung said, but he warned that Hong Kong should brace for a higher frequency of extreme weather due to the climate crisis. He said it was important that the different government departments, such as the Drainage Services Department and the Civil Engineering and Development Department, enhance coordination. On an individual level, those who live in areas more prone to floods and landslides, especially near private slopes that are not under the government's purview, should also take steps to protect themselves, Leung added.
