Remnants of Typhoon Koinu bring floods to Hong Kong

A taxi driver drives past a puddle after Typhoon Koinu brings heavy rain to the city, in Hong Kong, China October 9, 2023. REUTERS

HONG KONG — Hong Kong saw heavy flooding on Monday as the remnants of Typhoon Koinu (locally named Jenny in the Philippines) brought heavy rains and strong gales, with many areas inundated with water just a month after the city was paralyzed by record-breaking rainfall.

Koinu had weakened into a severe tropical storm but still brought gale-force winds and heavy rain, the city’s Observatory said. It was tracking west or west-southwest at around 10 kph (6 miles per hour) as it crossed the western coast of China’s southern Guangdong province.

Schools were shut on Monday while the city’s stock exchange closed for the morning session. It is due to reopen in the afternoon as strong winds are expected to ease later in the day.

Hong Kong’s weather bureau issued a landslide warning with many areas of the mountainous city at risk after unusually wet weather. In the southern part of the city, huge gushes of water washed down Repulse Bay Road prompting the closure of some parts, videos on social media showed.

Hundreds of passengers were stranded at Hong Kong’s airport overnight and underground metro stations as Koinu disrupted flights and transport, public broadcaster RTHK reported.

The Airport Express train which connects the airport to the central business district stopped running while services at some metro stations were partially suspended. Services had since resumed at limited frequencies, operator MTR said.

The China Meteorological Administration said the eye of the storm was located in Taishan city in populous Guangdong province early Monday with a maximum wind speed of 28 meters (0.02 miles)per second, or around 100 kph.

China’s national forecaster issued storm and typhoon warnings in various districts in Guangdong, including Zhuhai city, and suspended schools, state media reported.

Koinu is expected to approach Guangdong’s western coast and then the eastern part of Hainan island with weakening intensity.

However, strong winds were forecast in several areas in the coastal southern region including around the mouth of the Pearl River and localized heavy rains in southwestern Guangdong, forecasts show.

Torrential rain early in September led to widespread flooding across the city, submerging streets, shopping malls and metro stations after typhoon Haikui made landfall in China’s coastal Fujian province.