HONG KONG – Heavy rain marked the start of the Labour Day “golden week” holiday in Hong Kong on Wednesday with the city’s forecaster warning that a trough of low pressure is bringing showers and thunderstorms to Guangdong and the adjacent waters. 

With a wide range of activities and attractions planned for the Labour Day “golden week” holiday, the city welcomed some 43,000 tourists from the Chinese mainland, as of 10 am on Wednesday, despite the stormy weather and heavy rain.

Around 48,000 Hong Kong residents left the city over the same period, according to data from the Immigration Department.

IN PICTURES: Holiday vibes

An easterly airstream will affect the coast of eastern Guangdong gradually Wednesday night, the Hong Kong Observatory said. It extended a thunderstorm warning, issued at 7:17 pm on Tuesday, until 10 am on Labour Day.

The busiest border point was the Lo Wu port with about 18,000 travelers, followed by the Lok Ma Chau port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

Tourists who landed in the city in the morning were seen anxiously checking the weather ahead of a planned pyrotechnic display over Victoria Harbour on Wednesday night.

READ MORE: HK expects 5.9m trips during Labor Day holiday

As the weather improved in the afternoon, a large number of mainland tourists started visiting the seaside areas and major tourist spots.

Victoria Harbour, harbourfront, popular spots for social media check-ins, famous shops, museums, and the Star Ferry – all witnessed long queues of people. 

The HKO forecast severe squally thunderstorms on Wednesday. The weather will be cloudy and showers will be heavier at times, with moderate east to northeasterly winds, gusty at times, it said.

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Looking ahead, the observatory said there will be occasional showers and thunderstorms on Thursday and a few showers in the following couple of days.