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Homepages offer a wealth of information about Hong Kong's climatic conditions

Jacky Wong

Hong Kong people can get the latest weather information on the Internet.

Hong Kong Observatory

The homepage at www.info. gov.hk/hko is the SAR Government's official weather Web site. The bilingual site is user-friendly, well-presented and one of the most popular in Hong Kong.

Forecasts and current weather information is on the left side of the homepage.

To find out more about Hong Kong's weather, click the icons at the site.

Apart from providing current weather information, the Hong Kong Observatory has radiation monitoring, oceanographic studies and tropical cyclone warning services.

There is also seismology, time and astronomy information at the site.

The seismology section provides visitors with earth tremor records for Hong Kong. It shows that since 1979, there have been six locally felt tremors with epicentres located at Mai Po (1983), near the east coast of Lantau Island, twice in 1982 and three times in 1995.

The time section shows international time zones.

The astronomy section traces the positions of stars and planets seen in Hong Kong from January to December in a specially-designed 'Star Map'.

The Web site has recently introduced new services: Audio Information Service, Isohyet Chart, and an introduction to clear-air turbulence.

The Audio Information Service enables visitors to listen to weather information for Hong Kong, the South China coast and other cities either in Cantonese or Putonghua.

The New Isohyet Chart indicates the spatial pattern for rain in the territory, while information on clear-air turbulence serves to alert aircraft.

Weather Underground of

Hong Kong

The site at www.underground. org.hk provides information from both official and unofficial sources. The site features some exclusive information such as:

Regional temperature map with topography;

72-hour regional temperature trends;

Heat index and wind chill;

Surface and upper-level weather reports;

Aviation weather reports and forecasts; and

Upper-level weather maps for East Asia.

Also featured on the site is the Tropical Cyclone Forecast Contest, which teaches visitors about cyclones in a fun way. The contest started in January and runs until December 31.

Contestants are required to forecast the position of cyclones at various times during its approach.

Another section is Weather Discussion Forum, in which visitors can exchange their views and ideas on weather and climate with others.

Weather World of Hong Kong

The Web site at www.comp.hkbu.edu. hk/=d0009067 has a map showing the latest temperature readings at different places in Hong Kong.

The General Weather Information for Hong Kong section is designed for visitors who want to learn more about some interesting figures and solid facts. Besides providing visitors an overview of Hong Kong's climate, the site also gives you a list of the wettest years.

The Warning Signals in Hong Kong section details the signals issued by the Hong Kong Observatory, such as the tropical cyclone warnings, rainstorm warnings, flooding and landslip warnings; strong monsoon signal and thunderstorm warnings.

For regional weather information, visit the General Weather Information of Other Cities.

It shows the monthly average temperature of major mainland cities and the monthly rainfall of places like Korea, Singapore and Malaysia.

The Past Meteorological Information section has data starting from 1999 to 2001 and monthly weather summaries for Hong Kong.

The Current Satellite Images and Weather Maps offer pictures provided by the Hong Kong Observatory and Weather News Japan.

Graphic: YPWWWGLO

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