Hong Kong was paralyzed after experiencing the heaviest downpour in over a century that flooded the streets, forcing authorities to shut down schools and urge workers to stay home temporarily.
The region saw the highest hourly rainfall since records started 140 years ago and had cascades of water tumbling down the city's mountainous terrain. The situation prompted authorities to issue landslide risk warnings.
Hong Kong's Heavy Rains
The heavy rains turned the city's streets into torrents of water as video footage circulated on social media platforms. One clip featured metro workers wading waist-deep in a station as they tried to stem the water flow gushing down from road level.
The Hong Kong Observatory also reported a rainfall of 158.1 millimeters between 11:00 p.m. local time on Thursday and midnight on Friday. The city's weather bureau also issued the highest "black" rainstorm warning and noted more than 200 millimeters of rainfall recorded on the main island, Kowloon, and the northeastern part of the New Territories since Thursday night, as per Reuters.
The trough of low pressure associated with the remnant of Typhoon Haikui resulted in torrential rain on the coast of China's Guangdong since Thursday. Officials expect that extreme conditions will last until at least Friday noon.
The city's stock exchange will not open on Friday morning and remain shut for the afternoon session if the rainstorm warning remains until noon. In a statement, city leader John Lee said he was very concerned about the severe flooding reported in many parts of the region. He also instructed all departments to respond to the situation with "all-out efforts."
The government noted that some passenger and cargo clearance points at two border control points between the city and neighboring Shenzhen were suspended because of the severe flooding.
Flooding of Streets
City officials are expected to make an announcement on Friday morning on whether or not it would be safe for roads and public transport to reopen and whether or not offices and schools will be allowed to open, according to the Washington Post.
The online weather data site OGimet noted that some parts of the densely populated city with a population of roughly 7.5 million experienced nearly 500 millimeters of rainfall in 24 hours. Many of the region's residents were surprised by the extreme conditions a few days after Hong Kong was battered by its strongest typhoon in five years.
Typhoon Saola, initially a super typhoon, eventually weakened to the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane when it reached Hong Kong. However, it was still strong enough to knock down trees and cause hundreds of flight cancellations. The government reported that 86 people were injured because of the weather phenomenon.
The city's Mass Transit Railway also announced that it would suspend its services on one of its lines. The announcement came after a station in the Wong Tai Sin district was flooded, as seen in footage shared widely online featuring water gushing down the stairs, said CNN.
