Observatory chief forecasts early typhoon season, hot days for Hong Kong
Five to eight tropical cyclones forecast to enter within 500 kilometres of the city starting in June or earlier, Observatory director says
Hongkongers can expect an earlier than usual typhoon season and above normal temperatures this year, according to the weather forecasters.
Hong Kong Observatory director Shun Chi-ming on Friday said five to eight tropical cyclones entering within 500 kilometres of the city had been forecast for 2018, which he described as normal to above normal. But the onset of the tropical cyclone season could come earlier than usual, starting in June or earlier. In the past, the typhoon season had started as early as April, Shun added.
Shun also expected the annual mean temperature to be above normal, with a medium chance of making the top 10 in the Observatory’s records, which date back to 1885.
“We considered a series of factors including whether La Nina will be established,” he said, referring to the climate pattern of the cooling of surface waters over the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean affecting atmospheric circulation worldwide.