Hong Kong shuts down for second time in a week due to heavy rain
HONG KONG: Hong Kong issued its highest rainstorm warning, effectively closing down the city, just over a week after a typhoon downed trees in the financial centre.
The local observatory hoisted the black rainstorm alert at 9.10am local time on Tuesday. More than 100mm (3.9 inches) of hourly rainfall was recorded, according to the observatory. Local media reported some underground railway exits were shut due to the rain.
The torrential downpour comes as Hong Kong is still clearing up from Typhoon Wipha, which passed just to the south of the city on July 20, prompting the observatory to raise hurricane signal No. 10, its highest.
Tuesday's rain is the most intense since October 2023, when record rainfall flooded the financial hub's streets and sent torrents of water rushing through subway stations.
Showers are particularly heavy over the southside of Hong Kong Island and Lamma Island, the observatory said Tuesday, attributing the conditions to a broad trough of low pressure.
Heavy rain earlier led to 30 deaths in Beijing as eastern and central parts of China face more wild weather. China's weather agency forecast more heavy rain over the next three days in parts of the country, including Beijing, eastern Fujian and Shanghai.
Under a Hong Kong black rainstorm warning, residents are advised to remain where they are until conditions improve, while public transport can be limited.
Despite Tuesday's rains, Hong Kong is experiencing a much drier than normal year, with the city recording about two thirds of the average rainfall. Hong Kong is part of just 7% of cities flipping toward a more extreme dry climate, according to an in-depth study released in March by WaterAid, an NGO.
Hong Kong's weather has been breaking records as temperatures rise.
Last year was the city's warmest year since the city started keeping data in 1884. In November there were four tropical cyclones occurring concurrently over the western North Pacific and South China Sea - a first for that month since 1961.
One of those, Toraji, triggered Hong Kong's first No. 8 storm warming for November in almost 80 years. - Bloomberg
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
37 minutes ago
- The Star
Vietnam's mountainous north flooding death toll rises to 10
HANOI (AFP): The death toll from floods in Vietnam's mountainous north has risen to 10, disaster authorities said Sunday. Heavy rain led to flooding in recent days in the provinces of Son La, Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang and especially Dien Bien, isolating several communities. The agriculture ministry confirmed 10 people were killed and seven others injured in Dien Bien province's Tia Dinh and Xa Dung communes. State media quoted local authorities as saying rain was heavy from Thursday to Saturday, triggering flash floods. On Saturday, local authorities deployed helicopters to access isolated communities and deliver basic necessities. Residents were relocated to safe areas while electricity and telecommunication services were mostly restored by Sunday evening. Late July, similar flash floods claimed five lives in Son La province, inundating crops and washing away poultry and cattle. Vietnam is now in its tropical storm season, which often causes deadly floods and landslides. Scientists say human-driven climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely. In September 2024, Typhoon Yagi devastated northern Vietnam, killing 345 people and causing an estimated economic loss of US$3.3 billion. - AFP
New Straits Times
37 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Vietnam flood death toll rises to 10 amid heavy rain
HANOI: The death toll from floods in Vietnam's mountainous north has risen to 10, disaster authorities said Sunday. Heavy rain led to flooding in recent days in the provinces of Son La, Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang and especially Dien Bien, isolating several communities. The agriculture ministry confirmed 10 people were killed and seven others injured in Dien Bien province's Tia Dinh and Xa Dung communes. State media quoted local authorities as saying rain was heavy from Thursday to Saturday, triggering flash floods. On Saturday, local authorities deployed helicopters to access isolated communities and deliver basic necessities. Residents were relocated to safe areas while electricity and telecommunication services were mostly restored by Sunday evening. Late July, similar flash floods claimed five lives in Son La province, inundating crops and washing away poultry and cattle. Vietnam is now in its tropical storm season, which often causes deadly floods and landslides. Scientists say human-driven climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely. In September 2024, Typhoon Yagi devastated northern Vietnam, killing 345 people and causing an estimated economic loss of US$3.3 billion.--AFP
Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Sand and dust storm sweeps across southern Peru
The storm forced traffic to a halt and disrupted tourism activities in the region of Ica. (AFP pic) LIMA : Strong winds from a South Pacific anticyclone triggered a massive sand and dust storm in southern Peru today, catching residents in coastal regions by surprise, authorities said. Peru's national weather service said wind gusts reached up to 50kph in the Ica region, about 400km south of Lima. The storm in Ica forced traffic to a halt on highways and disrupted tourism activities for three hours. The effects of the unusual weather event were also felt in the regions of Arequipa, Moquegua, and Tacna – which borders Chile – where winds reached up to 32kph. Similarly strong winds were also recorded in the capital Lima, causing some trees to fall. 'This event was caused by the South Pacific anticyclone, which has intensified and is currently very close to the continent, generating high-speed downdrafts at the surface,' Rosario Julca of the national weather service told Canal N television. 'An anticyclone is a clockwise circulation in the Pacific Ocean that, when it nears the continent, increases wind speeds,' she added. According to Julca, the presence of such 'downdrafts, combined with the desert terrain, has generated a sudden and massive dust uprising'. The weather agency said the 'increase in wind speed, ranging from moderate to strong intensity', is expected to continue along the Peruvian coast through Monday. The national emergency operations centre said that local authorities are assessing the damage.
