Hong Kong temporarily closed some government services and commuters faced disruptions after the city issued its fourth black rain warning in a week, the most since records began almost three decades ago.
Hourly rainfall in some areas exceeded more than 100mm on Aug 5 morning, and the warning will remain in effect until at least 11am local time, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. The latest alert follows a black rain signal that was issued late on Aug 4 and lasted a few hours.
Services for the elderly and children have been closed until the warning signal ends, and the judiciary said hearings will be adjourned if the alert is still in force at 11am.
Some metro exits were shut, local media reported, and the morning session of the open outcry market for the Hong Kong Gold Exchange will also be shuttered, according to a statement.
A black rain warning is the city’s highest rain alert level, followed by red and amber. According to the Hong Kong Observatory website, it’s the first time that four have been issued in the space of a week since records begin in 1998.
Neighboring Shenzhen also issued a city-wide red alert at 4am on Aug 5 morning, the first of its kind since 2018, according to a local media report.
Parts of mainland China have been lashed by extreme weather over the past week, including Shanghai, along with deadly flooding in Beijing. Bloomberg
