Hong Kong’s weather observatory issued its most severe rain warning — known as the black rain signal — on Thursday at 12:55 p.m. local time, ordering schools to close and pushing some businesses to suspend operations as officials warned residents to find shelter and prepare for serious flooding.
The observatory reported on its website that heavy rainfall exceeding 70 millimeters per hour was expected to persist. This marks the second time this year the black rain signal has been activated, with the first occurrence happening just over a week earlier on June 8.
The major financial city, along with much of southern China, has endured several consecutive days of soaking rain driven by an active southwest monsoon and a persistent low-pressure trough in the region.
Strong wind gusts have also been battering the city, with speeds of approximately 80 kilometers — about 50 miles — per hour recorded in Hong Kong’s southwestern district of Tai O, according to the observatory.
The severe weather arrives at an especially inconvenient time, falling just before the Dragon Boat Festival on Friday, which kicks off a three-day weekend during which large numbers of residents are expected to be traveling.
Just across the border in Shenzhen, mainland China, local authorities issued a red rain signal and called on residents to avoid low-lying areas, waterlogged zones, and what officials described as “other dangerous areas.” Officials there also warned of a heightened risk of mountain floods, landslides, and other related disasters.
