TCAR - Typhoon Committee

44
ESCAP/WMO
Typhoon Committee Annual Review 2009
Fig. 14Hong Kong Observatory staff, in collaboration
with other key government departments and
emergency response units, gave a media briefing on
the alert system on storm surge flooding.
Fig. 15A large-scale drill on the alert system on storm
surge flooding was conducted in collaboration with
other key government departments and emergency
response units.
A pamphlet on Storm Surge was published in 2009
providing information on the cause and effect on
storm surge, monitoring and forecasting of storm
surge and the precautions to take.
d. Research, Training, and Other Achievements/
Results
Please refer to Key Result Area 2(d).
e. Regional Cooperation Achievements/Results
Enhancements to the “Aviation Weather Disaster
Risk Reduction” pilot website, to extend coverage of
tropical cyclone forecasts to Indian Ocean as well
as evaluation of tropical cyclone strike probability
forecasts would be considered for implementation in
the coming year.
f. Identified Opportunities/Challenges for Future
Achievements/Results
Nil.
6. Progress on Key Result Area 6:Improved
Capacity to Generate and Provide Accurate,
Timely, and understandable Information on
Typhoon-related Threats.(List progress on the
Strategic Goals and Associated Activities in the
Strategic Plan and progress on the 2008 Typhoon
Committee Annual Operating Plan goals)
a. Meteorological Achievements/Results
To enhance public awareness on the potential threats
of intense typhoons, as well as for the documentation
and analysis of tropical cyclone long-term intensity
trends in the face of climate change, typhoons were
sub-divided into three intensity categories, namely:
typhoon, severe typhoon and super typhoon.The new
intensity classification, as shown in the table below,
incorporating such changes was launched in the
2009 tropical cyclone season.
Classification of Tropical
Cyclones
M a x i m u m
sustained wind
speed near the
centre
(km/h)
Tropical Depression 41 - 62
Tropical Storm 63 – 87
Severe Tropical Storm 88 – 117
Typhoon 118 – 149
Severe Typhoon* 150 – 184
Super Typhoon* 185 or above
* New categories starting 2009
A recent analysis of tropical cyclone activity in western
North Pacific and South China Sea reveals that the
annual total number of tropical cyclones decreased
from about 35 in the 1960s to about 27 after 2000.
Closer to Hong Kong, the annual number of tropical
cyclones making landfall along the south China coast
within 300 km of the Observatory Headquarters in
the past 40 years or so (1961–2008) had decreased
from about 3 tropical cyclones in the 1960s to about
2.5 between 1990 and 2008, but the rate of change
is not statistically significant.The total number of
typhoons, severe typhoons and super typhoons
making landfall within 300 kilometers of Hong Kong
remained unchanged at around one per year during
the period 1961-2008.
b. Hydrological Achievements/Results
The Observatory provided support to the Drainage
Service Department in their review of the Drainage
Master Plans in Yuen Long & North Districts
and feasibility study of applying integrated water
resources management system in real-time flood
forecasting.Results showed that direct output from
SWIRLS (Short-range Warning of Intense Rainstorms