Waterspout was spotted at around 9.30 pm at Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong on Sunday. Photo: Handouts
Torrential rain descended heavily in Southern China, Guangdong on Sunday, instigating flooding and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate some affected places, as a waterspout appeared briefly in Hong Kong and forecasters warned of potentially severe flooding.
Rain has been falling in Guangdong, which has a population of about 127 million people, since last week. It intensified over the weekend, hammering the north of the province and the Pearl River Delta in the south, which includes Guangdong’s capital, Guangzhou, as well as the cities of Hong Kong and Macau.
The city of Yingde, in Guangdong’s north, received nearly a foot of rain from Friday to Sunday, the state-owned China Daily newspaper reported on Sunday. Nearly 20,000 people were evacuated and nine rivers were at risk of overflowing, it said.
In Guangzhou, the Longxue neighbourhood received nearly five inches of rain over four hours on Sunday morning, the highest amount in the province.
The Beijiang River, a tributary of the Pearl River, flooded on Saturday night, China’s Ministry of Water Resources said on Sunday. As the downpour continued, the river faced a risk of an “exceptionally large” flooding through Monday, the ministry said.
And in Hong Kong which is located in the south of Guangdong, a waterspout was sighted over water by the Hong Kong Observatory on Sunday morning. Waterspouts are whirling columns of air and water mist that form when cold air moves over warmer water, drawing up moisture.
There were no reports of the waterspout causing damage, and a rainstorm warning for the city was cancelled at 2 p.m. But forecasters warned of violent winds and possible flooding.
Heavy rain was also affecting parts of the neighbouring Guangxi, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces on Sunday.
The heaviest rain was forecast to shift from the north to the east of Guangdong on Monday, and some areas could receive up to 10 inches of rain over 24 hours, according to the China Weather Network, an arm of the country’s meteorological authority. The rainfall was expected to begin easing on Tuesday.
Thunderstorms and sometimes heavy showers were also forecast for Hong Kong on Monday.
中國南方大雨襲來，香港出現水龍捲
週日，廣東省華南地區遭遇暴雨，引發洪水，迫使數萬人撤離一些受影響的地區，香港短暫出現水龍捲，預報員警告可能出現嚴重洪水。
自上週以來，擁有約1.27億人口的廣東省一直在下雨。 週末，疫情加劇，襲擊了該省北部和南部珠江三角洲地區，其中包括廣東省省會廣州以及香港和澳門等城市。
根據國有《中國日報》週日報道，廣東北部的英德市從週五到週日降雨量接近一英尺。 報告稱，近2萬人被疏散，9條河流面臨氾濫風險。
在廣州，週日早上的四個小時內，龍穴社區遭遇了近五英寸的降雨，這是全省最高的降雨量。
中國水利部週日表示，珠江支流北江於週六晚間發生洪水。 該部表示，隨著傾盆大雨持續，該河週一面臨「特大」洪水的風險。
在位於廣東南部的香港，香港天文台週日早上在水面上發現了水龍捲。 水龍捲是冷空氣在溫暖的水面上移動時形成的旋轉空氣柱和水霧，吸收水分。
目前還沒有關於水龍捲造成損害的報道，該市的暴雨警報已於下午 2 點取消。 但預報員警告稱，可能會出現強風和洪水。
週日，大雨也影響了鄰近的廣西、江西和福建省的部分地區。
據中國氣象局下屬的中國天氣網稱，預計週一最強降雨將從廣東北部轉移到廣東東部，部分地區249.30 pm可能達到10英吋。 預計降雨將於週二開始減弱。
預計週一香港還會有雷暴，有時還會有大陣雨。
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