HK Observatory explains why 2 Red Rainstorm Warnings were issued hours apart, blames weather’s ‘randomness’

In an unusual move, the government issued a statement yesterday evening explaining that there is a “degree of randomness” in the evolution of summer rainstorms, apparently in defense of the Observatory’s seeming indecisiveness over rainstorm warnings.

Yesterday, the Hong Kong Observatory issued an Amber Rainstorm Warning at 6am, followed by a Red Rainstorm warning at 7:35am, then an Amber Rainstorm Warning at 9:35am, then another Red Rainstorm Warning at at 11:20am, then finally, an Amber Rainstorm warning at 1:45pm.

Yes, you read that right: there were a total of three Amber Rainstorm Warnings and two Red Rainstorm Warnings before 2pm.

Naturally, people were ticked off and confused, particularly parents whose children were on their way to or already at school when the first Red Rainstorm Warning was hoisted, since such signals mean that school’s cancelled.

The Observatory’s statement explained that the two rainfall episodes met the criteria for Red Rainstorm Warnings, and that the warnings kept flip-flopping due to the erratic movement and changing speeds of the storm.

Because the rains hit during the morning rush hour, they “inevitably” brought inconvenience” to the public.

Despite “state-of-the-art” technology, “forecasting rainstorms remains a big challenge”, due to the fact that summer rainstorms “develop rather rapidly” and evolve with a “considerable degree of randomness”.

Nevertheless, the Observatory says it will “continue to strive to provide weather forecast and warning based on the latest objective methods with the aim to ensuring the safety of the public”.

The Observatory likely made sure to emphasise “objective” due to some members of the public’s accusations that they appear to issue signals based on government or business interests.

“Li’s Field” is a running joke among Hongkongers, referring to a mysterious force controlled by tycoon Li Ka Shing that repels typhoons – implying that big businesses pressure the government into avoiding hoisting Typhoon No. 8 signals, lest people stop working for the day and hurt the economy.

Read the Hong Kong Observatory’s statement in full here.

 


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