Severe thunderstorms threaten to put damper on Hong Kong’s Labour Day fireworks
- Observatory says trough of low pressure is bringing heavy showers and thunderstorms to Guangdong province and nearby waters
- City also recorded more than 6,100 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes amid unstable weather on Tuesday night
The Hong Kong Observatory said in the morning that a trough of low pressure was bringing heavy showers and thunderstorms to Guangdong province and nearby waters.
The forecaster extended a thunderstorm warning issued at 7.17pm on Tuesday until 10am on Wednesday.
“Locally, about 30mm of rainfall was recorded over many places this morning, and rainfall even exceeded 50mm over Sai Kung,” it said.
Hongkongers can expect cloudy weather with showers and severe squally thunderstorms on Wednesday, with moderate east to northeasterly winds that at times may turn gusty.
Temperatures are expected to fall between 22 and 25 degrees Celsius (71.6 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit).
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu earlier said authorities were ready for the holiday, vowing to tell the public as soon as possible about any changes to the fireworks display at Victoria Harbour.
The display will be the first in a series of similar events announced in Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po’s latest budget, with Wednesday’s show including patterns such as smiley faces and the letters “HK” as the pyrotechnics soar up to 100 metres (328 feet) into the night sky.
Rockie Ip Ting-kwok, director of operations of Harbour Cruise – Bauhinia, told a radio programme that customers who bought tickets to the display could opt for a refund or reschedule, or still join the cruise trips and get back the price difference.
But he said planned cruise trips would not be cancelled unless a No 8 typhoon warning signal was issued, noting there were still other things to see, such as the installation of illuminated egg-shaped objects lighting up Victoria Harbour.
Each cruise could carry 350 to 400 people, and the current booking rate was about 200 each, he added.
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The Observatory said that occasional rainfall and thunderstorms were forecast for Thursday, as well as a few showers over the following couple of days.
The forecaster previously issued a hail warning at 10pm on Tuesday, saying hail had been reported in the Pearl River Delta region.
Hong Kong issued an amber rainstorm warning at 9.30pm that day, which ran until 11pm.
The city also recorded more than 6,100 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes on Tuesday night.
