
Amber rainstorm warning issued as heavy showers hit Hong Kong
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP's journalism by
subscribing . New users who
download our updated app get a seven-day free trial.
Hong Kong's weather forecaster has issued an amber rainstorm signal, warning that flash floods may hit some low-lying and poorly drained areas.
The Hong Kong Observatory raised the warning at 7.30am on Tuesday, which means heavy rain exceeding 30 millimetres has fallen or is expected to fall across the city.
'Heavy rain may bring about flash floods. People should stay away from watercourses. People who are likely to be affected by flooding should take necessary precautions to avoid losses,' it said.
The area of intense thundery showers associated with an active southwesterly airstream is affecting the vicinity of the Pearl River Estuary, according to the Observatory.
More than 20 millimetres of rainfall were recorded over Hong Kong's New Territories in the morning. Over 50 millimetres, meanwhile, were recorded over Shenzhen and even exceeded 150 millimetres over Zhongshan and Zhuhai.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South China Morning Post
28 minutes ago
- South China Morning Post
Mild tremors felt across Hong Kong as 4.3 magnitude quake hits Guangdong
More than 1,500 Hong Kong residents reported experiencing mild tremors on Monday evening after a magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck northern Guangdong. The Observatory recorded the quake at 6.48pm. Its epicentre was located in Qingyuan, around 57km (35 miles) north of Guangzhou and 180km northwest of Hong Kong, at a depth of around 10km. The Guangdong Earthquake Agency confirmed the epicentre was in the Qingcheng district of Qingyuan city. There have been no reports of casualties or property damage. The Observatory received more than 1,500 reports of tremors felt in Hong Kong, each lasting only a few seconds. The shaking was classified as intensity three on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, meaning it was felt indoors and resembled vibrations from passing light trucks. Residents across Guangdong, including those in Guangzhou, Foshan, and Dongguan, shared accounts of stronger shaking on social media. Some posted images showing minor cracks on highways and water in bottled containers visibly quivering. In Qingyuan, one online user described the sensation as 'feeling like being inside a washing machine for two seconds', while another on the 25th floor reported clearly feeling the tremor while sitting on a sofa.


RTHK
an hour ago
- RTHK
Hongkongers feel tremor as quake hits Qingyuan
Hongkongers feel tremor as quake hits Qingyuan The epicentre was located about 180 kilometres northwest of Hong Kong. Image: Hong Kong Observatory A magnitude 4.3 earthquake that hit Guangdong province on Monday evening was felt by many people here in Hong Kong. The tremor struck Qingyuan at 6:48pm. The epicentre was located in Qingcheng, a district of Qingyuan, about 180 kilometres northwest of Hong Kong. The quake had a focal depth of about 10 kilometres. People in nearby cities, including Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Foshan, Zhuhai and Dongguan, reported feeling the tremor. The Guangdong Earthquake Agency said no injuries were reported and that emergency response measures were implemented. The Hong Kong Observatory said more than 100 people reported feeling the tremor, which lasted a few seconds. A woman, who lives in Ma Liu Shui, told RTHK what happened. "I was at home, sitting on the floor. I felt a few minor tremors," she said. "I recently went to Japan where there was a stronger earthquake. It felt quite similar. But surely, this earthquake in Hong Kong didn't feel as strong as the one in Sendai." A woman living in North Point said that she felt her sofa in the living room shake for about two to three seconds.


South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Weather phenomenon ‘fire rainbow' seen in Hong Kong skies last week
Wispy spiralling clouds painted in hues of orange, yellow, green and blue hovered in the skies above Hong Kong last week, a rare sight that only occurs when the sun is at a high angle. The Hong Kong Observatory shared the video of the 'fire rainbow' on Monday, a meteorological phenomenon so named because it looks like a rainbow burning in the sky. 'However, it's not a true rainbow but rather an optical phenomenon called a circumhorizontal arc,' the forecaster explained in a social media post. 'It forms when sunlight refracts through hexagonal, plate-shaped ice crystals within cirrus clouds.' The formation of a circumhorizontal arc is highly dependent on the sun's angle of incidence, it added, and only has a chance of appearing when the sun is near midday. The video was first taken by a social media user, Star Fish, and was shared on the Community Weather Observing Scheme page on Facebook.