Swimming pool operators, scouts and hikers are among the groups who could benefit from an Observatory website that issues an alert if there has been lightning within 15km of a specified location in the past five minutes. The Observatory's acting assistant director, Sharon Lau Sum-yee, said the current thunderstorm warning applied across the whole city but sometimes lightning would affect only isolated areas. 'The alert will be convenient for people who need to monitor the weather at outdoor activities,' she said. 'The warning could be given immediately for anyone with a portable device and who has access to the internet.' She encouraged swimming pool operators to use the new website in order to prolong working hours. 'The [swimming pool] operator can decide when to close the swimming pool timelier with the new website,' she said. At the moment swimming pools usually close when the Observatory issues a thunderstorm warning. But the lightning alert could allow them to monitor the risk to swimmers more accurately and stay open for longer if there is no danger of a strike in the area. The new lightning webpage can be accessed at www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/llis/index.htm . Users can also change to another mode to check lightning distribution in the past two hours. The system comprises six sensor stations at Chung Hom Kok, Tsim Bei Tsui, Sha Tau Kok, Tai Pa Island in Macau, and Sanshui and Huidong in Guangdong. Chan Ka-wing, the assistant headquarters commissioner of the Scout Association, said they welcomed the new service as it would enable them to quickly grasp the distance of lightning without having to call the Observatory. 'Most of our activities are held outdoors and are easily affected by adverse weather,' he said. 'The website will help us to make efficient arrangement for our scouts.' Bolt toll In July 2005, Hong Kong was hit by more than 4,500 lightning strikes in two hours The number of people hit by lightning since 1992: 39
