Heavy rain triggers red rainstorm warning Friday evening

A downpour started affecting the majority of Macau from about 6:30 p.m. last Friday, which later triggered the red rainstorm warning from the weather forecaster.

The warning means that heavy rain has fallen or is expected to fall over extensive areas, exceeding 50 mm in an hour, and is likely to continue.

The warning took effect from 9:20 p.m. to 10:35 p.m. on Friday. Prior to its issuance, Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) issued the yellow warning at 7:15pm, in expectation of heavy rainfall that may reach or have already reached 20 mm in the past or the next hour.

The meter at the Maritime Museum has recorded a maximum of 60.2 mm rainfall within an hour on Friday evening.

Under the impact of the downpour, many locations in the city experienced minor to intermediate flooding. These locations included the western coast of the Macau Peninsula, the main road at New Urban Zone A, Avenida de Venceslau de Morais at the back of the Mong-Ha Multisport Pavilion and Fai Chi Kei, among other locations.

The Times witnessed flooding at the junction between Rampa dos Cavaleiros and Rua de Francisco Xavier Pereira, as well as the left-hand lanes on Sai Van Bridge.

In response to flooding, several tunnels or underpasses were closed under the downpour. Closed channels are located at the Border Gate, Avenida do Dr. Rodrigo Rodrigues, Praça de Ferreira do Amaral and the Main Reservoir, as well as other locations.

The downpour also caused two landslides, both in Coloane. Both incidents blocked public roads but caused no injuries.

Some shops have also reported flooding. AL