- Black Rainstorm Warning in Hong Kong After Record Rainfall
- Impact of Torrential Rain: Deaths, Injuries, and Disruptions
- Causes and Response to Severe Rainfall in Hong Kong
Record rainfall turns roads into rivers, cancels schools and disrupts transport, prompting the first black rainstorm warning in nearly two years.
In Hong Kong, two people have died and more than 100 have been injured as a result of widespread inundation caused by record-breaking rainfall. Which has closed schools and businesses and turned streets into rivers.
Thursday night saw the most rain in one hour since 1884.
The Hong Kong Observatory measured 158.1mm (6.2 inches) of precipitation between 11 pm and midnight on Thursday.
Last night, for the first time in nearly two years, the weather service issued a black precipitation warning that will be in effect until Friday at midnight.
It stated that since Thursday night, more than 200mm (7.9 inches) of rain had fallen on Hong Kong’s main island, Kowloon, and the northeastern part of the city’s New Territories, and urged residents to remain safe.
“Heavy rainfall will bring flash floods,” the warning stated. “Residents living near rivers should monitor the weather and consider evacuating” if their homes flood, the report said.
The territory ground to a halt as the torrential rain submerged streets, shopping centers and metro stations, and authorities shut schools and asked employees to stay at home.
Videos on social media showed motorists attempting to drive through severely flooded streets as it poured heavily and a woman being carried down a road helplessly.
One video clip depicted metro employees wading in water up to their waists as they attempted to stem the flow of water gushing down the escalators and stairs into the station.
Images also depicted a vehicle in a deep hole caused by the collapse of a segment of road, as well as roads blocked by landslides.
According to a government statement, Hong Kong leader John Lee is “extremely concerned” about the severe inundation and has ordered all departments to “respond with all-out efforts.”
Friday would see all schools cancelled due to “extreme conditions caused by widespread flooding and severe traffic disruptions.”
The Hong Kong stock exchange did not open for trading on Friday morning and announced it would remain closed if the city’s black deluge warning remained in effect.
The weather bureau attributed the heavy rainfall to a “trough of low pressure” associated with the remnants of Typhoon Haikui, which passed through Taiwan and Fujian province in southern China earlier this week.
