The southern Chinese mainland and Hong Kong are bracing for more torrential downpours , as forecasters warn the heavy rain may continue or even worsen in the coming days. Guangdong cities Shenzhen and Qingyuan were among those pounded with heavy rain on Wednesday morning, and emergency officials in Shenzhen and Guangzhou issued storm warnings hours later, saying the weather would deteriorate on Wednesday night and Thursday. In Hong Kong, forecasters also warned that the city would be battered by more rainfall and squally thunderstorms in the next two days. “There will be heavy rains tonight and tomorrow,” Chan Pak-wai, acting director of the Hong Kong Observatory, told reporters on Wednesday. He said a low-pressure trough would bring more unstable weather until early next week, with temperatures expected to drop below 20 degrees Celsius on Monday. More than 50 cities and towns across Guangdong have issued severe storm warnings, seven of them red – the highest in China’s four-tier emergency alarm system – after meteorologists warned of the year’s “strongest, most extensive and longest” rainstorm hitting this week. Senior provincial Communist Party leaders on Tuesday told local cadres to heed weather warnings and give top priority to protecting lives. At the meeting, chaired by provincial party chief Li Xi, officials at all levels were urged to be vigilant and ensure adequate food supply and disaster aid while also keeping up Covid-19 controls. They were also warned that they would be held responsible for any mishaps or disasters, and that they must lead by example in an emergency. On Wednesday, the party’s provincial Organisation Department, which is in charge of personnel, issued a notice calling on all party members – especially those in leading positions – to go to the front line to prevent flooding or other disasters. There have been repeated government warnings this week telling residents to prepare for emergencies such as widespread flooding or landslides. The provincial weather bureau has warned of strong winds, and the city of Zhuhai has suspended all sea transport to outlying islands. In tech hub Shenzhen, trains have been delayed or suspended. Hong Kong braces for record-high rainfall this week Schools have also been temporarily closed in multiple cities, including provincial capital Guangzhou, prompting complaints from parents trying to balance work and childcare. Guangzhou beauty parlour owner Leo Li said his nine-year-old son stayed home on Wednesday after schools were suspended, even though the heavy rain had yet to reach the city. “My son has had nothing to do for two days, and I have had to make arrangements for it,” he said. Leung Wing-mo, former assistant director of the Hong Kong Observatory, said low-pressure troughs normally occurred in May and June, but the effects of climate change could mean more precipitation. He said warmer weather would lead to increased evaporation from the ocean and more water vapour in the atmosphere. “Under the influence of climate change, the same low-pressure trough could bring heavier rainfalls than usual – record-breaking rainfalls could emerge,” he said, adding that Hong Kong had seen increased rainfall over the years. But Liu Bo, associate professor of atmospheric science at the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, expected this week’s rainstorms in Guangdong would not be as damaging as last year’s devastating summer floods in the Henan capital, Zhengzhou. “Rainfall in Guangdong this time will be about the same as a month’s total but Zhengzhou received almost a year of rainfall last summer,” Liu said. He also said it was too early to say if climate change was a factor in the downpours because there was not enough data to reach that conclusion. “Scientists will have to do the research after the storms,” Liu said. Due to the rainstorms and pandemic controls, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge shuttle bus service from Hong Kong to Zhuhai has been suspended until Saturday. Macau issued a thunderstorm warning on Wednesday afternoon and cancelled all ferry services to neighbouring Shekou in Shenzhen. All schools except tertiary institutions have been closed. It comes as Guangdong is still grappling with coronavirus outbreaks. Wang Weizhong, the province’s governor, visited the southwestern city of Zhanjiang on Monday to check on Covid-19 prevention and control measures. The city, which has carried out multiple rounds of mass testing this week, reported 60 new local cases on Wednesday. Additional reporting by Nadia Lam