Heavy rainfall in mainland China forces Hong Kong to dial back high-speed rail services
High-speed rail services between Hong Kong and southern Guangzhou were suspended or redirected on Thursday in response to severe weather in mainland China.

The MTR Corporation said authorities across the border had informed it of the suspension of Guangzhou South-bound routes G6528, G6516, G6530 and G6536, as well as Hong Kong-bound routes G6527, G6515, G6529 and G6535.

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Hong Kong’s rail operator added that two routes between the city’s West Kowloon terminus and Guangzhou South, G6510 and G6511, were redirected to Shenzhen North.

The company also reminded passengers to check the service’s website at 12306.cn, as well as its own page and mobile app for more details.

The service changes were prompted by ongoing heavy rainfall in Guangdong province, where flooding has killed at least four people and displaced tens of thousands more.

Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Jiangmen and Yangjiang were among the cities rocked by the severe weather in recent days as rainbands moving south reached the coast.

The National Meteorological Centre said it expected heavy rain to continue to hit Guangdong.

Over in Hong Kong, the local forecaster said the city could expect patches of unstable weather this week.

At 12.45pm, the Hong Kong Observatory issued a special weather notice, warning of strong winds after gusts of around 70km/h (43.5mph) were recorded at Tai O.

“Intense gusts may continue to affect Hong Kong. Seek safe shelter as soon as possible if you are staying outdoors,” it said.

Residents have had to brace for thunder and some heavy showers from Thursday morning, following advice from the weather service to be on alert.

The forecaster also warned residents to expect heavy showers and squally thunderstorms in the coming days.

“With the trough of low pressure moving away early next week, showers will ease off slightly over the region,” the Observatory said. “Another trough of low pressure is expected to bring unsettled weather to southern China midweek next week.”

A thunderstorm warning signal was also issued at 8.15am and extended until 1.30pm, indicating that squally thunderstorms were expected to occur over Hong Kong.

Temperatures for the coming nine days were predicted to range between 24 and 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

The forecaster had warned at around 10pm on Wednesday that hail might affect Hong Kong in the next couple of hours, as an area of intense thundery showers to the west of the Pearl River Delta was gradually moving eastward.

Hailstones are large ice pellets formed in severe thunderstorms.

Hong Kong has been grappling with unstable weather in the past few days, with the Observatory issuing multiple amber storm warnings due to heavy rain that has caused flooding in certain areas.

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Guangzhou South-bound routes G6528, G6516, G6530 and G6536 suspended on Thursday, as well as Hong Kong-bound routes G6527, G6515, G6529 and G6535Mainland Chinese railway authorities also redirect two routes between West Kowloon terminus and Guangzhou South to Shenzhen North