The Observatory is verifying social media posts which apparently showed hail falling in Hong Kong as the city was hit with storms overnight.

During an amber warning issued at about 9.30pm on Tuesday, posts from several social media platforms reported that hail was falling in Yuen Long. One video on Instagram showed residents there running for cover.

The Observatory said it is verifying the social media posts, and noted that there were reports of hail fall from Macau and Zhuhai.

“Last year, there were also hail reports in March and April,” Betty Mak, a scientific officer at the Observatory, told RTHK, noting that there is nothing unusual for it to hail this time of year.

“We’ll consider all the data and observations including the stability of the atmosphere and analysis of radar images and hail reports from nearby areas or locally to assess."

“Members of the public should consider bringing rain gear when going out,” Mak added.

The forecaster also said lightning struck the east of the territory more than 6,400 times between 10pm and 10am. “Violent gusts” of over 100km per hour were also recorded in Cheung Chau early on Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, a concert that was being held in Central was forced to stop midway when the amber signal came into effect on Tuesday night.

And several flights were affected by the weather, with some being delayed or rerouted to land in other airports in the Pearl River Delta area.
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Last updated: 2024-05-01 HKT 15:30