Financial hub in Asia Typhoon Koinu caused torrential rain overnight, and Hong Kong stopped trading at its stock exchange and closed schools.
According to the Hong Kong Observatory, Koinu, which last week caused one fatality in Taiwan, had weakened into a strong tropical storm by Monday as it approached the coasts of China’s Guangdong province.
As a result of the storm’s nonstop rain throughout the night, the agency around 4:00 am local time (2000 GMT) issued its strongest “black” rainfall warning signal.
Since Monday at midnight, most areas of the territory have had rainfall of more than 150 millimeters, while certain areas of metropolitan Hong Kong island have seen rainfall above 300 millimeters, according to data.
“Because of seriously flooded roads and inclement weather conditions, you are advised to take shelter in a safe place and stay there,” the observatory said.
The city’s third-highest storm warning signal “T8” was to remain in place until 11:40 am local time.
The city’s stock market was scheduled to cease trading during the morning session due to the storm warning, but it was anticipated that trading would resume at 2:00 pm.
Schools and daycare facilities were closed on Monday despite being told to close when officials issued the T8 warning the previous day.
The city had issued the black rain warning twice in the previous month.
Hong Kong saw its heaviest rainfall at the beginning of September, flooding malls and subway stations and triggering landslides.
In China’s Guangdong province where Koinu is expected to sweep past en route to Hainan island the cities of Zhuhai and Jiangmen issued a Level III emergency response, according to the Xinhua news agency Sunday.
That meant more than 35,500 fishing boats had to return to port, while dozens of coastal scenic areas were temporarily closed.
Before moving to Hong Kong, Koinu had grazed nearby Taiwan, bringing torrential rain and record-breaking winds to its outlying Orchid Island.
The storm left at least one dead in Taiwan, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes.
Typhoons that originate in the warm oceans east of the Philippines and then move west commonly strike southern China in the summer and autumn.
However, climate change has increased the severity of tropical storms, making them more unpredictable while also bringing more rain and stronger winds that cause flash floods and coastal devastation, according to experts.
