The Hong Kong Observatory said a photo taken at its automatic weather station in Sai Wan Ho showed what looked like hail at around 3pm on Saturday.

In a social media post, the weather forecaster said it had been also alerted about hail sightings in the area.

Hong Kong last saw hail in September 2021, while the last time it fell in March was in 2014.

The reported sightings came after authorities forecast hail was a possibility, and as the Observatory issued the first Amber Rainstorm Warning Signal of the year.

The warning was issued at 12:20pm, before being cancelled at 3:20pm. Many parts of Hong Kong recorded heavy rainfall exceeding 30 millimetres in an hour.

The downpour caused flooding at parts of the accident and emergency department at Tuen Mun Hospital, leading to patients being moved to other hospitals temporarily. Services resumed at 4pm.