According to the weather bureau a downpour, which began on Thursday, is the biggest to hit Hong Kong in nearly 140 years.
With tens of millions of people living in the densely populated coastal areas of southern China. Heavy rain has also swept southern China, with the city of Shenzhen (across the border from Hong Kong) reporting its heaviest showers since records began in 1952. This has caused hundreds of flights to be suspended in the wider Guangdong province. Local authorities have also advised residents in low-lying areas to consider evacuations.
On Thursday, Hong Kong authorities issued a black warning, which is triggered when rainfall exceeds 70mm an hour. The Hong Kong Observatory later that night reported an hourly rainfall of 158.1 mm, the highest since records began in 1884. Photos from the city on Thursday night showed the torrential rain turning streets into raging rivers, and flooding shopping centers and public transport.
Videos on social media showed people climbing onto cars and other elevated platforms to escape the waters, which have risen several meters high in some areas, blocking off subway entrances.
