The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) expects about five to eight tropical cyclones will likely hit Hong Kong during the year, which is in the range of normal to above normal.

Speaking about the city’s weather outlook at a press briefing today, HKO Director Chan Pak-wai said the tropical cyclone season is expected to start in June or later and cease in October or later.
 

The annual mean temperature in Hong Kong is expected to be above normal this year, with a high chance of it being among the 10 highest on record.
 

The annual rainfall is expected to be near normal, ranging from 2,100 millimetres to 2,700mm. However, Mr Chan stressed that Hong Kong may still be affected by heavy rain and said the public should be prepared for the rain and tropical cyclone seasons.
 

With the rainy season approaching, the HKO will enhance its dissemination of information on severe weather situations. When the Black Rainstorm Signal is in force, the HKO will conduct hourly briefings to provide the public with the latest weather information.
 

Mr Chan also highlighted other ongoing improvements to the HKO’s various services, explaining that the department plans to enhance the computer model forecast information on its “Earth Weather” webpage. Forecasts from more computer models, as well as forecast charts for the upper air, will be added. 

 
The HKO will also launch monthly forecasts in the second half of this year, with elements including monthly average temperatures and total rainfall in tercile categories.
 

In addition, the HKO has just replaced the weather radar at Tai Mo Shan, and the new equipment for monitoring various inclement weather phenomena is about to come into operation.
 

Moreover, the HKO plans to enhance the service on its “MyObservatory” mobile application and will add weather information for the Greater Bay Area in the second half of this year. The “Dr. Tin” chatbot service will also be upgraded to support voice functions on the app.