HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Observatory raised the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal at 11:45 am on Friday, the second time the city raised the highest of a three-tiered rainstorm alert, as tropical storm Lionrock moved toward the vicinity of Hainan Island.

The black rainstorm warning means very heavy rain has fallen or is expected to fall generally over Hong Kong, exceeding 70 millimeters in an hour, and is likely to continue.

The warning was reduced to red, the second tier of the warning system, an hour later.

The effect of Lionrock and the northeast monsoon prompted the HKO to issue the typhoon warning signal 3 at 4:40 am earlier Friday.

A boy standing on a flooded street poses for a photo amid heavy rain in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong on Oct 8, 2021, as the city raised the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

A woman holds up her skirt as she wades across a flooded road in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, on Oct 8, 2021, amid a black rainstorm warning. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

People holding umbrellas cross through deep water in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, Oct 8, 2021 amid a black rainstorm warning. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

A father and his son wearing ponchos walk in the rain at Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, Oct 8, 2021 amid a black rainstorm warning. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

A storekeeper piles sandbags in front of a shop in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, Oct 8, 2021 as the city raised the Black Rainstorm Warning Signal. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

A double-decker bus drives through a flooded road in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, Oct, 8, 2021, amid a black rainstorm warning. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

Pedestrians brave the strong wind and rain brought on by tropical storm Lionrock in Hong Kong on Oct 8, 2021. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

A woman's umbrella is flipped (left) as she braves the strong wind and rain brought on by tropical storm Lionrock in Hong Kong on Oct 8, 2021. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

A woman walks against the strong wind in the Central district of Hong Kong, Oct 8, 2021. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

Two men brave the strong wind and rain brought on by tropical storm Lionrock in the Central district, Hong Kon on Oct 8, 2021. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)