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Fiona Sun

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing.
Forecasters cancelled all typhoon signals on Sunday afternoon as the winds and rain that had battered Hong Kong over the weekend eased and Tropical Storm Lionrock moved further away from the city.
The Hong Kong Observatory announced the move at 2.20pm and said local winds were “moderating significantly”.
Earlier, the first No 8 alert of the year was lowered after being in force for almost 24 hours.
And while Sunday’s weather was predicted to remain rainy and windy – prompting an Observatory spokesman to urge the public to stay away from the shoreline – the outlook for the next couple of days is mainly fine and dry.
The respite is not set to last, however, with heavy rain and squalls predicted for Tuesday as Tropical Storm Kompasu moves into the area.

On Saturday, residents took refuge in their homes as sheets of rain and fierce winds brought by Tropical Storm Lionrock hammered Hong Kong without stopping on Saturday and triggered the first No 8 typhoon warning of the year.
From the downtown business core to luxury retail districts, streets usually packed with weekend shoppers were largely deserted, while most public services, from schools to medical clinics, never opened for the day after the Observatory issued the third-highest storm alert at 6.40am.
The No 8 typhoon warning was downgraded to a No 3 signal at 4.40am on Sunday.
Lasting 22 hours, Lionrock became the single longest storm 8 signal since Severe Tropical Storm Agnes of July 1978, according to Observatory records.
The residents who did brave the harsh conditions on Saturday struggled to find transport. Ferry services were suspended, while rail operator MTR Corporation stopped its buses and said its trains would run on a reduced timetable. Franchised bus operators NWFB, Citybus, KMB and LWB halted runs early in the morning except for a handful of routes.

According to the Hospital Authority, 13 people had sought medical treatment at public hospitals as of 10pm.
Officials said all community vaccination centres, which were closed on Friday afternoon when heavy rains began to batter the city, would remain shut until three hours after the No 8 signal was cancelled, which was not expected until after midnight.
The closure of community vaccination centres meant people with bookings would have to reschedule, while all mobile stations for collecting coronavirus samples, as well as community testing centres, were also shut.
The Department of Health suspended collection points for deep-throat saliva samples at 10 designated chest or dermatological clinics. Of all the clinics under the department, only methadone facilities remained open.

Authorities said 121 people had sought refuge at 21 temporary shelters. As of 10pm, the 1823 government call centre had received 165 reports of fallen trees, and the Drainage Services Department confirmed two cases of flooding, while the Civil Engineering and Development Department received three reports of landslides.

The Labour Department reminded employers to consider alternative arrangements for staff, such as working from home.
Businesses across the city were closed, and while the IFC shopping centre in Central was open, there were few shoppers around.
The usually busy Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park in Sai Ying Pun was also quiet, although some hardy residents were exercising in the heavy wind and rain before finally calling it quits when conditions grew worse.
Similarly, the Kwun Tong Promenade in Kowloon, usually bustling with joggers and families out enjoying the harbour views, was empty and nearby shops and restaurants closed.
Ocean Park on southern Hong Kong Island and its new Water World attraction remained shut for the day.
Soaring temperatures set to make September hottest on record in Hong Kong
The storm also forced shut: welfare service units of the Social Welfare Department; child care centres; centres providing after school care programmes; elderly services centres and day rehabilitation units including sheltered workshops; integrated vocational rehabilitation services centres; integrated vocational training centres; and day activity centres. Those services will only resume two hours after the signal is cancelled.
Macau issued its No 8 tropical cyclone warning at 6am on Saturday, and the signal was expected to remain in place for the rest of the night.


The severe conditions also hampered work on clearing scaffolding that collapsed at the private Beverly Hill estate on Broadwood Road in Happy Valley on Friday, killing one construction worker and leaving three others trapped.
The torrential downpours prompted the Observatory to upgrade its rainstorm warning to black, the top-level warning, on Friday morning, which was downgraded before it was taken down at 7.25pm.
Forecasters came under fire for failing to issue a more serious rainstorm signal in the morning.
Tropical storm halts clean-up works at site of deadly scaffolding collapse
Many parents criticised the Observatory and the Education Bureau for only shutting kindergarten classes before the black rainstorm signal was issued, leaving the rest of the student population exposed to the harsh weather.
The Observatory said that Lionrock was the most distant tropical storm that triggered a No 8 signal since 1961.
While the strength of the storm used to be rare at this time of year, it has become more common, with the warning raised in October last year and during the same month in 2016 and 2017.


Hong Kong records hottest Lunar New Year’s Eve at 27.9 degrees

Warm temperatures expected over Lunar New Year holiday in Hong Kong

Temperatures on Lantau, in rural areas to go as low as 8 degrees on Sunday morning

Temperatures to drop to 13 degrees on Sunday as cold front sweeps Hong Kong

Hong Kong weather

Hong Kong Observatory cancels all typhoon signals as winds ease and Tropical Storm Lionrock moves away from the city

Firefighters clear away fallen tree branches on Eastern Street in Sai Ying Pun on Sunday. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Lei Yue Mun during Typhoon Lionrock Signal 8. 09OCT21 Photo: SCMP/ Dickson Lee

A girl playing in front of a huge poster of Hong Kong boy group in Tsim Sha Tsui under the Typhoon Lionrock Signal 8 hoisted.  09OCT21.    SCMP / May Tse

People out at Central and Western District Promenade, after tropical storm Lionrock downgraded to no.3. 10OCT21 SCMP / Jonathan Wong

IFC during Typhoon Lionrock Signal 8. 09OCT21 Photo: SCMP/ Xiaomei Chen

Moon landing: Mid-Autumn Festival art installation deflates as high winds and rain batter Hong Kong

A popular ‘giant moon’ installation by the Kwun Tong promenade ended up deflated in the sea. Photo: Facebook

Hong Kong typhoon: warning rises to No 8 after deadly scaffolding collapse at residential building

Firefighters search for people after scaffolding collapsed on Broadwood Road in Happy Valley. Photo: Felix Wong

Location of collapsed scaffolding

Victim of scaffolding collapsed on Broadwood Road in Happy Valley. 08OCT21 Photo: SCMP/ Felix Wong

Bad weather at Tai Wai. At 6am, tropical storm Lionrock was estimated to be about 650km south-southwest of Hong Kong, the observatory said, adding that the storm might move north slowly towards the vicinity of Hainan island. 08OCT21 Photo: SCMP/ Felix Wong

Weather photo taken from Central Promenade.07OCT21  SCMP / Felix Wong

Mercury rising: September on track to be hottest on record in Hong Kong as city swelters through soaring temperatures

A group of friends enjoy the hot weather at Repulse Bay Beach. Photo: Winson Wong

People exercising under the hot weather at the waterfront of West Kowloon Culture District.   SCMP / Sam Tsang

Bumpy landing: Hong Kong migrants face culture shock in Britain, seek help for isolation, depression, marriage breakdown

A woman walks across Westminster Bridge in London. Between January 31 and the end of June, about 64,900 Hongkongers applied to live in Britain under the BN(O) scheme, according to official figures. Photo: Reuters

Henry, not his real name, at a protest in Britain says he suffered from depression when he sought asylum in Britain Source: Handout

A hard hat is seen on a coffin, as protesters gather at an event organised by Justitia Hong Kong to mourn the loss of Hong Kong's political freedoms, in Leicester Square, central London on December 12, 2020. - Britain expressed alarm on Friday after Hong Kong media tycoon and Beijing critic Jimmy Lai, who has UK citizenship, became the most high-profile figure yet charged under a sweeping national security law. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

Simon Cheng addresses a crowd protesting outside the Chinese embassy in London on Sunday. 20JAN20 SCMP/ Stuart Lau

a photo from Henry, not his real name, from a walk in a local park with two sons of his friend Source: Handout

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Lasting 22 hours, Lionrock became the single longest No 8 typhoon signal since 1978
At 5am on Sunday, Lionrock was centred about 610km west-southwest of Hong Kong



Lasting 22 hours, Lionrock became the single longest No 8 typhoon signal since 1978. At 5am it was centred about 610km west-southwest of Hong Kong.


Weather

Hong Kong Observatory cancels all typhoon signals as winds ease and Tropical Storm Lionrock moves away from the city

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Lasting 22 hours, Lionrock became the single longest No 8 typhoon signal since 1978 At 5am on Sunday, Lionrock was centred about 610km west-southwest of Hong Kong

Lasting 22 hours, Lionrock became the single longest No 8 typhoon signal since 1978

At 5am on Sunday, Lionrock was centred about 610km west-southwest of Hong Kong