Why have severe storms hit Hong Kong despite lower cyclone intensity?
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Hong Kong experienced severe rainstorms because the monsoon provided rich moisture that amplified the residual impact of tropical cyclone Danas, despite its early landfall, the weather forecaster has said.
The Observatory's explanation came after heavy downpours and thunderstorms across the city on Thursday, with six reported cases of flooding prompting the government to cancel all day school classes on Friday.
Danas landed in Zhejiang in eastern China on Tuesday, with the wind speed at its centre significantly reduced. But the remnants of the tropical cyclone remained active, which brought adverse weather to Hong Kong, the forecaster explained.
'Besides Danas, there was also an active southwest monsoon, which was rich in humidity,' Shum Chi-tai, an acting senior scientific officer at the Observatory, told a radio show on Friday.
'In the presence of such atmospheric factors, despite Danas reducing to a low pressure area with lower wind speed at its centre, the accompanying rains and thunderstorms still brought a very significant impact.'
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