Hong Kong Observatory lifts amber rain signal on Saturday evening, warns of heavy showers in coming days

The Hong Kong Observatory lifted an amber rainstorm warning signal at 9.15pm on Saturday, 1¼ hours after it was issued, as it told residents to brace themselves for heavy showers and squally thunderstorms in the next couple of days.

The forecaster also warned that rain in Tai Po and Sai Kung on Saturday could be particularly heavy, with precipitation levels expected to reach 70mm (2.7 inches) per hour, and there was a risk of severe flooding.

An area of low pressure near the Gulf of Tonkin, part of the South China Sea, and another trough of low pressure over the coast of southern China would lead to showers and thunderstorms in the area, the Observatory said.

“The area of low pressure now over the vicinity of the Gulf of Tonkin will linger over the vicinity of the Leizhou peninsula. It is expected to move across the coast of western Guangdong and its coastal waters next Monday and Tuesday, and may edge closer to the vicinity of the Pearl River Estuary,” it added.

“An active southwest monsoon will continue to bring unsettled weather to the coast of Guangdong in the latter part of next week. Besides, Tropical Cyclone Guchol will move across the seas east of Luzon and towards the seas south of Japan in the next couple of days.”

Guchol, named after a word for turmeric in a Micronesian language, was located in the Philippine Sea as of 2pm on Saturday. It is not expected to impact Hong Kong directly, with the cyclone gradually moving towards waters south of Japan.

On the same day, the forecaster issued a thunderstorm warning at about 5.30pm, extending it until 9.30pm.