Category Weather including tropical cyclones

“Typhoon to Hong Kong Soon” Makes Great Clickbait

While Hong Kong is sometimes hit by typhoons, predicting them in advance is tricky. Yet this doesn’t stop social media and even mainstream media posts that latch on to occasional results of computer forecast models that suggest potential typhoons, even…

Lightning-packed Supercell over Cheung Chau, Hong Kong

Yesterday evening (30 April 2024), weather monitoring imagery showed an intense rainstorm/thunderstorm area – a “supercell” approaching Hong Kong from the west. I went from my home to the public pier at the nearby Cheung Chau typhoon shelter, with ideas…

Tropical Cyclone Ma-on Headed for Hong Kong

25 August 2022 (evening) update: Ma-on took a track somewhat south and west of earlier forecasts; passed within 200km of Hong as a severe tropical storm early this morning. So, “no biggie”. Quite dry while it passed Hong Kong too,…

Typhoon Haiyan Lessons for Hong Kong

Typhoon Haiyan was among the strongest storms on record, and devastated a swathe of the Philippines. A storm surge was most damaging; and surges have hit Hong Kong.

Hong Kong weather outlook warmer wetter wilder

With global warming only just getting started, according to scientists, it’s time for Hong Kong to move beyond talk and switching off lights for an hour one day a year Early this month came news that Hong Kong ranked among…

Typhoon Vicente hurricane force winds blast Hong Kong

tung-wan-rainstorm-pre-vicente2012Jul22_7810800px

Severe Typhoon Vicente slammed Hong Kong on 23 and 24 July 2012, with hurricane force winds blasting places including Cheung Chau. It was a surprising storm, as even a couple of days earlier it was a large but rather shapeless…

Severe Tropical Storm Pabuk

Severe Tropical Storm Pabuk looked set to have passed Hong Kong, barely causing an impact other than a pulse of thunderstorms, some rain. Headed towards Hainan, and forecast to dwindle to nothingness. But, it stopped, strengthened again, and turned around…

Hong Kong Typhoons including Calamitous Storm Surges

Typhoons have sometimes caused massive damage and loss of life in Hong Kong. Just months after British sovereignty over Hong Kong Island was first declared in 1841, “a violent typhoon flattened all the insubstantial housing and damaged shipping.” (Endacott, A…

Hong Kong tropical cyclones

Hong Kong can be impacted by tropical cyclones including and typhoons. Happily, typhoons are scarce near Hong Kong, and rarely score direct hits (13 from 1946 to now) – but can be spectacular and deadly when they do impact the…