Hong Kong activates black rain signal, closes schools, businesses
Heavy rain above 70 mm an hour and winds up to 80 km/h raise risks of severe flooding, landslides and disruptions ahead of the long holiday.
Hong Kong activated its black rain signal, the highest rain warning, at 12:55 p.m. local time on Thursday. The move closed schools and halted some business activities, while the observatory urged residents to shelter and watch for severe flooding. The Hong Kong Observatory said heavy rain above 70 millimeters an hour was expected to continue. It was the second time the black warning had been issued this year after June 8. The bad weather was triggered by an active southwest monsoon and a trough of low pressure lingering over southern China. Wind gusts of about 80 km/h were recorded in Tai O. In Shenzhen, authorities also raised a red rain signal and warned of mountain flooding, landslides and hazards in low-lying areas already inundated.