Hong Kong issues first black rainstorm warning of year as heavy downpours hit city
Hong Kong's weather forecaster has issued its first black rainstorm warning of the year as heavy rain hit the city. Showers were particularly heavy on Lamma Island, with severe rainstorms of more than 100mm (4 inches) of hourly rainfall being recorded, the Hong Kong Observatory said. The forecaster called on the public to avoid travelling until the black rainstorm signal was no longer in force and traffic conditions improved. It also warned that heavy rain might bring about flash floods.
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Hong Kong's chief secretary has defended the city's mechanisms for handling extreme weather, after a rainstorm on Tuesday morning left many stranded during their morning commute. Eric Chan, who chairs the steering committee on handling extreme weather, said on Wednesday that the rainstorm 'developed rapidly' and that authorities across departments reacted immediately after the black rainstorm warning was issued. 'Besides the [rainstorm] developing rapidly, another [factor] was that it was rather concentrated,' Chan said in Cantonese. 'This time, it was harder [to predict].' On Tuesday, the Hong Kong Observatory issued the black rainstorm signal – the highest rainstorm warning and the first this year – just after 9am, as Hongkongers were making their morning commute to work. The rainstorm was the most severe in the eastern parts of Hong Kong Island. In Quarry Bay, one of the areas hardest hit by the rainstorm, a large crowd of people took shelter at the entrance of the MTR station while rain poured down. Flooding was also reported in Stanley, Shek O and Chai Wan. When the black rainstorm warning was in force, rain was scarce in other parts of Hong Kong, including most of Kowloon and the New Territories. The chief secretary added that government departments mobilised quickly once the warning was hoisted. 'I believe that everybody saw yesterday that whether it was flooding, fallen trees or road blockages, [these] were resolved quickly, showing that our existing mechanisms are effective,' Chan said. Tropical Storm Co-May According to the Observatory, less than two hours after the black rainstorm warning was hoisted, it recorded an average of over 10 centimetres of rain per hour in the Eastern and Southern districts of Hong Kong Island. The MTR Corporation closed some station exits, including those at Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin and Choi Hung stations, as a precautionary measure. Afternoon classes were suspended due to the black rainstorm warning, though authorities told morning and whole-day schools that students should remain until conditions were safe for them to return home. The Observatory lowered the rainstorm signal to red at around 11am, and to the amber warning at 11.45am. The thunderstorm warning remained in force until mid-afternoon as the rain continued. According to the Hong Kong Observatory, rain and thunderstorms are forecast over the next few days and into early next week. The heavy rain in Hong Kong came as Typhoon Co-May edged closer to the coast of eastern China. In Shanghai, around 283,000 people were evacuated as the typhoon made landfall in Zhejiang province early on Wednesday. Meanwhile, heavy rain in Beijing caused flooding, killing at least 30 people in recent days.
