The water was knee-high in the north of the city, with 13 people trapped in their home by floods caused by heavy rain
The Observatory predicted storms would continue until Wednesday. The amber rainstorm warning was issued this morning as heavy rain brought floods to the north of Hong Kong. And the wet weather looks set to continue, as forecasters projected three days of thunderstorms for the city from Monday.
The Observatory issued the amber rainstorm warning at 5am, after which police received five reports of floods in rural areas. The thunderstorm warning was issued at 1.45am on Monday, and set to remain up until 1pm.
Four of the flood reports were in Tin Shui Wai, where 13 people were reported trapped in their homes by floods, with some claiming the water had got into their properties. The other was in Tuen Mun.
The Drainage Services Department urged Hongkongers to report floods to its 24-hour hotline.
According to photos taken at Sha Chau Lei village in Tin Shui Wai, the floodwater was knee-high even after the amber signal was taken down at 8am.
Villagers were seen leaving their homes for work on Monday morning despite the flooding. At least six people in Tin Shui Wai were carried to safety by firefighters.
“Though the rainstorm warning has been cancelled, people should stay alert to the danger that may be brought about by river flooding,” the Observatory said.
The Observatory predicted storms would continue until Wednesday, after which it forecast sunny intervals would break the gloom.
But it also expected isolated storms to return to Hong Kong on Saturday, and that the bad weather would continue into early next week.
Throughout the week, the highest temperature each day is expected to be about 30 degrees Celsius, except on Wednesday, when it is expected to dip to 27 degrees.
In response to inquiries, a spokesperson for the Education Bureau directed Young Post to their briefing materials to school heads on the department website.
Besides advice on precautions to take during rainstorm warnings, the bureau also expects schools to be aware of “Special Announcement on Flooding in the Northern New Territories” and “Announcement on Localised Heavy Rain” from the HKO, warning that schools in the affected areas should "assess their own vulnerability to flooding based on the past experiences and decide whether class suspension is required when [the relavant alert] is issued".