QuickCheck: Were hundreds of motorcyclists trapped on the Penang Bridge?

A VIDEO that has been gaining traction online seems to show hundreds of motorcycles parked at the side of the road on the Penang Bridge due to bad weather.

Did this really happen?

Verdict:

TRUE

The video that was uploaded on Tuesday (Feb 8) does show motorcyclists stuck on the Penang Bridge as a severe thunderstorm rattled the island state.

The strong winds made crossing the bridge dangerous for those on two wheels, causing many to wait out the storm before proceeding.

The state housing, local government and town and country planning committee said the storm occurred suddenly with wind speeds recorded at around 68kph.

The strong winds uprooted many trees on the island and even tore the roofs off two buildings.

According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), the weather phenomenon would continue every afternoon throughout the week.

"Butterworth Meteorological Station recorded 19.4mm of total rain at 6pm yesterday," MetMalaysia said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 9)

"The Prai Meteorological Air Pollution Station recorded 8.4mm of total rain in the same period."