City Shuts Down As Wipha Disrupts Transport Links
"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("
"); jQuery(document).ready(function() { jwplayer.key='EKOtdBrvhiKxeOU807UIF56TaHWapYjKnFiG7ipl3gw='; var playerInstance = jwplayer("jquery_jwplayer_1"); playerInstance.setup({ file: "https://newsstatic.rthk.hk/audios/mfile_1471702_1_20190731181734.mp3", skin: { url: location.href.split('/', 4).join('/') + '/jwplayer/skin/rthk/five.css', name: 'five' }, hlshtml: true, width: "100%", height: 30, wmode: 'transparent', primary: navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Trident")>-1 ? "flash" : "html5", events: { onPlay: function(event) { dcsMultiTrack('DCS.dcsuri', 'https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1471702-20190731.mp3', 'WT.ti', ' Audio at newsfeed', 'WT.cg_n', '#rthknews', 'WT.cg_s', 'Multimedia','WT.es','https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1471702-20190731.htm', 'DCS.dcsqry', '' ); } } }); }); });
2019-07-31 HKT 18:17
Share this story
Observatory's Li Ping-wah
The first typhoon signal number 8 of the year virtually shut Hong Kong down as Tropical Storm Wipha edged closer to the city on its way to western Guangdong, severely affecting the transport links.
The observatory, which issued the alert at 1.40pm, said the storm will be at its closest point to the territory in the evening and the number 8 signal is expected to remain in force for most of the day.
After the number 8 signal came into force, the ferry services to outlying islands were suspended. KMB, Long Win Bus, New World First Bus, Citybus and New Lantao Bus said almost all of their services had stopped running by 4pm, as had the tram on Hong Kong Island. By 5pm, the Airport Express was only running at 10-minute intervals.
As the offices closed and bus services dwindled, MTR ramped up the number of trains to help people get home. Their services were reduced to non-peak schedules later.
The Airport Authority said a total of 397 flight were delayed while 22 flights were cancelled by evening.
The observatory said as of 6pm, Wipha was centred about 310 kilometres south-southwest of Hong Kong and forecast to move in a northwesterly direction.
It warned that continued gusts of 110 kilometres an hour or more were already possible in parts of the city.
The storm has also drenched Hong Kong and senior scientific officer, Li Ping-wah, said more than 50 millimetres of rain has been recorded across the city.
HSBC And Standard Chartered Venture Reportedly Among First For Hong Kong Stablecoin Licenses
People familiar with the matter say HSBC and a joint venture led by Standard Chartered will likely be among the first f... Read more
Hong Kong Taxi E-Payment Adoption Surges, Hits 90% Ahead Of April 2026 Mandate
The taxi industry is moving decisively toward digital payments as the mandatory Hong Kong taxi e-payment requirement, s... Read more
SUNRATE Renames China Payment Unit Following Regulatory Approval
SUNRATE has changed the name of its China-licensed entity from Transfar Pay to SUNRATE Pay following following regulato... Read more
Bithumb Could Face Six-Month Business Suspension Over AML Breaches
Financial authorities plan to impose significant sanctions on virtual asset exchange Bithumb for breaching anti-money l... Read more
HSBC Hong Kong Enables Digital Consolidation Of Multiple Passbooks
HSBC Hong Kong has introduced a new Passbook Consolidation feature on the HSBC HK App, allowing customers to view and m... Read more
PAObank Launches Flexible Wealth Service For Retail Customers
PAObank has launched a new wealth service, offering a dual-advantage solution that allows customers to switch between i... Read more