Heavy rainfall pounded Hong Kong and southern China overnight, leading to widespread flooding in urban areas. Halting transportation systems, and necessitating the closure of schools on Friday. Videos circulated on social media depict submerged streets in Hong Kong and the neighbouring Guangdong province. With vehicles navigating through flooded roads, and rescue teams employing rafts to access affected areas.
In Hong Kong, water cascaded down staircases and escalators within a submerged subway station. while cars found themselves stranded in muddy waters on inundated streets. Including within the crucial cross-harbour tunnel connecting Hong Kong Island with Kowloon.
The relentless downpour prompted both Hong Kong and Shenzhen, on the mainland, to shut down schools. Additionally, non-essential workers in Hong Kong were advised to refrain from heading to their workplaces on Friday. Resulting in the suspension of most bus services within the city.
Evacuations and Disruptions on the Mainland
The Hong Kong Observatory reported a record-breaking 158.1 millimetres (6.2 inches) of rainfall within the hour between 11 p.m. on Thursday and midnight. This marked the highest recorded hourly rainfall since records began in 1884. Over 200 millimetres (7.8 inches) of rain inundated Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.
On the mainland, more than 11,000 people were evacuated from water-logged areas in Meizhou, a city in Guangdong province, as reported by state broadcaster CCTV. Train services and flights were suspended in Guangdong, and several landslides obstructed roadways.
Shenzhen experienced a total rainfall of 469 millimetres (18.4 inches). The heaviest on record since the city began meteorological record-keeping in 1952, according to CCTV.
In response to the severe weather conditions, Beijing issued a flood disaster warning for multiple districts of the Chinese capital. Anticipating heavy rainfall through Saturday night.
The Hong Kong stock exchange remained closed on Friday, with authorities cautioning that extreme weather conditions were expected to persist until evening.
The Hong Kong Observatory attributed Friday’s heavy rainfall to a trough of low pressure associated with the remnants of a recent typhoon, highlighting the vulnerability of the region to such weather events.
