Hong Kong came to a standstill on Tuesday as torrential rain pounded the city for the second time in less than six hours, triggering a rare black rainstorm warning, paralysing public services and flooding key urban districts.

The city went to bed last night amidst a Black Rainstorm, which was hoisted at 11.45pm on August 4 and ended at 2.10am on August 5, but by 5.50am this morning it had worsened into the highest-level rainstorm warning again, which is still in force at the time of publication and will likely remain in place until at least 3pm, according to the HKO.

Torrential rain has brought Hong Kong to a standstill, with the city issuing a rare Black Rainstorm Warning twice in one day. Streets turned into rivers, residents were trapped in buildings, and emergency services were stretched thin.