Tropical Storm Wipha: some 718 flights cancelled or delayed after year’s first No 8 typhoon signal issued
- Ferry companies suspend services and second amber rainstorm alert in a day also triggered
- MTR increases frequency of trains to meet demand and deploys extra staff at stations
More than 700 flights were cancelled or delayed on Wednesday, and Hong Kong came to a near standstill with transport services suspended as Tropical Storm Wipha hit the city.
Wipha also brought the year’s first No 8 typhoon warning, which was downgraded to a No 3 warning at 11.40pm as the storm continued to pass Hong Kong.
Apart from the No 8 typhoon signal raised at 1.40pm, Wipha also brought two amber rainstorm warnings to the city in the afternoon, which were upgraded to a red one between 8pm and 9.30pm. The two warnings meant heavy rain, exceeding 30mm and 50mm in an hour respectively, had fallen or was expected to fall over Hong Kong and was likely to continue.
At 6.45pm, the Observatory said Wipha was at its closest to Hong Kong, skirting some 300km southwest.
“[Wipha] will begin to gradually depart from the territory tonight,” the forecaster said, adding that stormy conditions would persist for most of the night.
