Hong Kong issues first red storm signal of year as roads flood

Hong Kong issued its first red rainstorm warning of the year on Saturday as downpours caused flooding in areas of the territory, shutting roads and disrupting public transportation.

The Hong Kong Observatory raised the red signal around 9am local time, which signified rain of more than 50 millimeters (about 2 inches) had fallen and more was expected across the city. Red is the second-highest storm risk level. The agency also issued landslip and thunderstorm warnings, and advised the public to "stay on high alert."

Hundreds of vehicles were submerged in a flooded public car park in the New Territories area of Lohas Park, while roads were closed and bus services were suspended in parts of the nearby Tseung Kwan O area, according to the South China Morning Post. About 140 millimeters of rain had fallen in the Saikung district, the easternmost part of the New Territories, between 7:40 a.m. and about 9 a.m. Saturday, the newspaper reported.

"Under the influence of an upper air disturbance, thundery showers continue to develop over the territory," the Observatory said in a statement. "It is expected that severe rainstorms will continue to affect some areas in the eastern part of the territory."

All school classes were suspended and hospital services were limited at some clinics in the Saikung district, officials said.

Heavy downpours are expected to lash several parts of southern China, including Guangdong, Xinhua News Agency reported. The highest level rainstorm alert was raised in three localities in Zhuhai on Saturday around 1 p.m. local time after more than 250 millimeters of precipitation was recorded by the city's meteorological bureau, according to the report. Residents were advised to stay indoors with some sections of the road in the city flooded, Xinhua cited the traffic department as saying.

The freak conditions has been caused by an El Niño climate pattern, the occasional warming of the eastern equatorial Pacific that plays havoc with weather around the world which has been in place since June. Another summer of record-breaking high temperatures and other extreme weather events in the Northern Hemisphere is likely, said Shun Chi-ming, who served as director of the Hong Kong Observatory between 2011 and 2020 and is now adjunct professor in the environment and sustainability division of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

"The global ocean sea surface temperature has been exceedingly high in the past several months, and as warm ocean provides the energy source for storms, the chance is that they are going to be stronger too," said Chi-ming.

Earlier this week, at least 48 people died after a deluge caused a highway to collapse in Meizhou, a city in China's Guangdong province. Thirty people were injured and 23 vehicles were found in a pit after the road caved in, China Central Television reported.

Inclement weather also disrupted sports events and air flights in Singapore Saturday, as torrential rains sparked flash flood warnings, CNA reported. Some flights at Changi Airport were delayed because of the downpour, the news agency said, while play in the second round of the LIV Golf tournament in Sentosa featuring Major winners Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka had to start later in the day.

In Indonesia, at least 14 people have died as result of floods and landslides in South Sulawesi, according to a statement from the country's disaster mitigation agency on Saturday. More than 1,300 families have been affected, with homes destroyed, and roads and bridges damaged.

Other areas of Southeast Asia have faced a severe lack of rain and have battled record-high temperatures. Heat waves in areas from Thailand to India have been exacerbated by the ongoing El Niño, though some climate centers predict the pattern may weaken in the latter part of the year, Chi-ming said.

Earlier this week, several districts in Thailand and Vietnam reported the hottest April on record, according to national meteorological agencies.

"With a lack of rain and the possibility of more heat waves appearing in many areas across the country, there is a high risk of prolonged drought, water shortages and potentially very high risks of fire in some areas," according to a statement from Vietnam's weather center, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Warnings were issued in the Philippines earlier this week over potential disruption to electricity supplies when temperatures reached a record 38.8C (101.8F) in the capital Manila.