The Observatory said it would issue the Strong Wind Signal No.3 at 11.40am on Monday, ending almost 24 hours of higher warnings as Koinu moves away from Hong Kong.

By 8am, Koinu was was centred about 120 kilometres southwest of the SAR, and it was forecast to move west or west-southwest crossing the Western coast of Guangdong. By 7am, it had weakened to a severe tropical storm.

"Intense rain bands associated with Koinu continued to affect the region. From the radar imagery, we can see that in the past few hours, rain bands have been continuously swiping from east to west across Hong Kong, leading to sustained heavy rain," said acting senior scientific officer Ho Chun-kit.

The forecaster said more than 100 millimetres of rainfall had been recorded over many places since midnight, and rainfall even exceeded 200 millimetres over the eastern part of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon East and Tseung Kwan O.

The Hospital Authority said 14 men and 11 women had sought treatment by 4am. There were 17 reports of felled trees and one report of a landslide.

The Drainage Services Department said it had received two reports of flooding, both in Eastern District, adding that emergency teams have been sent to follow up on the cases.

There will be no school for the day, and all child care centres, elderly services centres and day rehabilitation units will be closed in the morning.

Emergency services at public hospitals remain normal, but general out-patient clinics, specialist out-patient clinics, allied health and other day services are closed.

Meanwhile, the MTR said it's closing some exits of Choi Hung, Wong Tai Sin and Sham Shui Po stations in anticipation of heavy downpours.
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Last updated: 2023-10-09 HKT 07:11