Red rainstorm warning was the longest in over three years

The rainstorm that caused widespread flooding and at least 18 landslides yesterday was the longest in more than three years and produced the most rainfall ever recorded at Kadoorie Farm.

The red rainstorm warning's duration of nine hours and 25 minutes was the longest since 1999 and the third-longest since records began in 1998.

The longest was 13 hours and 13 minutes, recorded on September 16, 1999.

'The 426 millimetres of rainfall measured in our rain gauge at Kadoorie Farm from midnight on Sunday until 4pm today is a record for the station,' a spokesman for the Hong Kong Observatory said yesterday. The station has been monitoring rainfall since 2000.

Between midnight on Sunday and 4pm yesterday there were 87 flooding reports. Seventy-one were in the New Territories.

All schools were suspended, and red flags were hoisted at 18 public beaches.