#englishnews #hongkongtyphoon <br /><br />News Article :-<br />Hong Kong has closed schools and suspended trading on the stock exchange after a weakening Typhoon Koinu brought torrential rain and storm-force winds to the southern Chinese territory.<br /><br />More than 150mm of rain was recorded over most parts of Hong Kong from midnight into Monday morning, with rainfall exceeding 300mm in some areas, data showed.<br /><br />The Hong Kong Observatory issued a “black” rainstorm warning – its highest – for about six hours before it was downgraded at 10.30am (02:30 GMT), a month after the city was paralysed by the worst floods in 140 years.<br />While Koinu, which killed one person in Taiwan last week, had weakened into a severe tropical storm, it still brought significant disruption.<br /><br />Schools and childcare centres were ordered to shut and the morning session at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange was suspended. Trade was expected to resume at 2pm (06:00 GMT).<br /><br />Hundreds of passengers were stranded at Hong Kong’s airport overnight and underground metro stations as Koinu disrupted flights and transport, public broadcaster RTHK reported.<br /><br />In early September, Hong Kong was brought to a standstill by torrential rain that swamped streets and flooded shopping malls and metro stations. A “black” warning was also issued then.<br /><br />In China’s Guangdong province – where Koinu is expected to sweep past en route to Hainan island – the cities of Zhuhai and Jiangmen issued a Level III emergency response, according to the Xinhua news agency on Sunday.<br /><br />The alert meant more than 35,500 fishing boats had to return to port, while dozens of coastal scenic areas were temporarily closed.<br /><br />Southern China is frequently hit during the summer and autumn seasons by typhoons that form in the warm oceans east of the Philippines and then travel west.<br /><br />But climate change has made tropical storms more unpredictable while increasing their intensity – bringing more rain and stronger gusts that lead to flash floods and coastal damage, experts say.
