e-Bulletin for Parents - 31 August 2026

EDB Reminds Parents and Students to Stay Tuned to Weather and Traffic Updates on the First School Day

Tomorrow (September 1) marks the commencement of the new school year. It is believed that students and parents are all looking forward to welcoming the new academic term. However, according to the latest forecast by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), the remnants of “Sautel” are gradually intensifying into a tropical depression. Under its combined effect with the northeast monsoon, it will be windier over Hong Kong during the day tomorrow, with more showers over parts of the territory with squally thunderstorms.

To ensure the safety of students, the Education Bureau (EDB) has reminded schools to make necessary preparations for the potentially unstable weather on the first day of school. The EDB would also like to take this opportunity to remind students and parents again to stay tuned to the latest weather and traffic updates before leaving home and during their journey to school. It is recommended to set off early to ensure a smooth and safe journey. Safety should be the primary consideration during inclement weather, and parents and students may decide whether to proceed to school based on the actual conditions. Schools should exercise discretion regarding student attendance.

Regarding Weather
Students and parents are therefore reminded that in the event of tropical cyclones and/or heavy persistent rain, the EDB will announce the schooling arrangements for that day based on the latest weather information provided by the HKO, through the following channels:

Radio and televisions
Government press releases ( https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/today.htm )
EDB Website ( https://www.edb.gov.hk/ )
EDB Hotline (Telephone: 2891 0088)
Mobile application “iAM Smart” (download link: https://www.iamsmart.gov.hk/en/app.html, please opt-in for “EDB Information” via app settings in advance)

When tropical cyclones and/or rainstorms affect Hong Kong, the following general schooling arrangements will apply:

Weather conditions

Corresponding measures

When Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 1 is issued

All schools, including kindergartens, are to operate as usual unless advised otherwise.

When Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3 is issued

Classes of kindergartens, schools for children with physical disability and schools for children with intellectual disability are to be suspended.
Other schools are to operate as usual unless advised otherwise.

When Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal Pre-No. 8 / No. 8 or above is issued

Classes of all schools are to be suspended.

When Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or above is replaced by Signal No. 3

Classes of all kindergartens, schools for children with physical disability and schools for children with intellectual disability are to remain suspended.
Unless previous announcement has been made to the effect that classes will be suspended for the entire day, other schools are to resume if Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3 has been issued according to the following schedule:-
- AM and Whole-day Schools: Signal issued before 5:30 a.m.
- PM Schools: Signal issued before 10:30 a.m.
- Evening Schools: Signal issued before 5:00 p.m.

When Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3 is replaced by Signal No. 1 or when all tropical cyclone signals are cancelled

All schools are to resume with the next session unless previous announcement has been made to the effect that classes will be suspended for the entire day.

When Amber Rainstorm Warning Signal is issued

All schools, including kindergartens, are to operate as usual unless advised otherwise.

When Red or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or “The combined effect of strong wind and prolonged rainstorm is affecting/expected to affect Hong Kong” information is issued by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO)

In general, if the relevant rainstorm warning signal or information is issued during the following periods (i.e. before school starts or while students are on their way to school), relevant students do not need to attend school:
- AM and Whole-day Schools: At or after 5:30 a.m. and before 8:00 a.m.
- PM Schools: At or after 10:30 a.m. and before 1:00 p.m.
- Evening Schools: At or after 5:00 p.m. and before 7:00 p.m.
Students who have not left for school should stay home. Those who have already set out for school should decide whether to continue their journey to school taking into consideration the rain, road, slope or traffic conditions. Students who have already arrived at school should remain in school until it is safe for them to return home. Schools are required to keep their premises open and implement contingency measures to look after students who have arrived at school. Parents do not need to pick up their children from school immediately.

If the relevant rainstorm warning signal or information is issued during school hours as follows, schools should implement contingency measures to ensure the safety of students. Schools which are in session should continue lessons until the end of normal school hours and ought to ensure that conditions are safe before allowing students to return home. Parents do not need to pick up their children from school immediately.
- AM and Whole-day Schools: At or after 8:30 a.m.
- PM Schools: At or after 1:00 p.m.
- Evening Schools: At or after 7:00 p.m.

Students and parents please refer to the EDB circulars (arrangements for kindergartens and day schools; arrangements for evening schools) and the related materials in our designated webpage for details and preparation. For more information on the combined effect of strong wind and prolonged rainstorm, please refer to the HKO’s online educational resources.

In addition, in accordance with the above-mentioned EDB Circular, schools will formulate and review from time to time school-based contingency plans in advance to cater for various situations that may arise under inclement weather conditions, such as class suspension. Where events organised by schools might need to be postponed or cancelled under inclement weather, schools should inform all relevant parties of the contingency arrangements in advance.

As the situations in localised areas may differ from the territory as a whole, under the prevailing mechanism, if the EDB has not made any announcement for suspension of classes but individual schools consider it necessary to suspend their classes having regard to local weather, road, slope or traffic conditions, the schools concerned may proceed after consulting the EDB. They should at the same time inform relevant parties according to the established contingency plans. Parents can exercise their discretion in deciding whether or not to send their children to school if the local weather, roads, slopes or traffic conditions are adverse. Schools will flexibly handle the affected students who arrive late or are absent from school at parents’ discretion on the day, and such students will not be penalised.

Traffic Planning
Students, especially those attending a new school, should familiarise themselves early with public transport routes to and from their schools and the service frequencies. Students should take heed of road safety on their journeys, properly use crossing facilities to cross the road, and not use a mobile phone or earphones, play mobile games, eat or drink when crossing the road. The Transport Department (TD) anticipates that the overall road traffic on the first school day will be busier and urges students to allow more time and pay attention to the latest traffic information. The TD’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will release the latest information as appropriate. Members of the public are advised to heed the latest traffic news through the TD’s website (https://www.td.gov.hk), the HKeMobility mobile app, radio and television broadcasts. For details, please refer to the TD’s press releases issued on August 24 and 31 entitled “TD reminds public transport operators to provide adequate services on first school day” and “TD reminds students to allow more journey time on first school day” respectively.