PHOTO: Waterspout spotted near Hong Kong airport as observatory issues third day of rainstorm warning

A waterspout was sighted near the Hong Kong airport on Monday morning as heavy rain continued to batter the city.

Samuel Tai posted a picture on a weather-spotting Facebook group showing the air column extending down from the clouds. According to the caption, the photo was taken at 10:03am and shows the airport’s third runway in Chek Lap Kok, which is under construction.

“Pls take precautions. Waterspout was reported at Chek Lap Kok at around 10:00[am],” the Hong Kong Observatory tweeted.

The amber rainstorm signal was issued at 9:40am. The observatory warned that the heavy rain could bring flash floods and that people should take precaution to stay away from high-risk areas.

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Intense wind gusts may reach 80 km/h, the observatory said at 11am.

[Gust Forecast] 11:00AM: Pls take precautions. Intense gusts reaching 80 km/h or above may affect HK.https://t.co/Nfo7ujPxFI

— Observatory HKO (@ObservatoryHK) June 8, 2020

This is the third consecutive day of rainstorms in Hong Kong. The weather observatory issued the black rainstorm signal just before 3am on Saturday, the first time the signal has been raised in three years. The warning stayed in force for about three hours, before being downgraded to the red rainstorm warning at around 5:40am, and to the yellow storm warning around an hour ago.

A roundabout and road tunnel near the Kwun Tong MTR station were severely flooded on Saturday morning. Firefighters were called to the scene to assist drivers trapped inside their vehicles, and four traffic lanes were forced to close.

In Tin Shui Wai, an elderly couple was rescued from their flooded village house. Photos from local media show their clothes soaked as paramedics rushed them to the hospital

The yellow and rainstorm signals were issued again on Sunday morning. As of Sunday afternoon, authorities had received at least four reports of flooding and 24 reports of landslides. Four bus routes through Sai Kung were suspended due to road conditions.

More than 10,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were recorded on Sunday.

The observatory canceled the yellow rainstorm signal at 11:15am, but the thunderstorm warning remains in place.