Advance warning: An online lightning-alert service has been put on trial, offering the public lightning information according to their own needs in an interactive way.

The Observatory has put on trial an online lightning-alert service, offering the public lightning information according to their own needs in an interactive way. 

The Observatory's Acting Assistant Director Lau Sum-yee said the service enables people to select from a large amount of lightning data, to assess the risk of lightning and decide whether planned outdoor activities should proceed.

People can choose their location of interest, either from the popular places listed on the webpage or entering the name of a building, estate or street.

They can also click directly on the lightning map to specify the place of concern. An alert will be provided automatically when there is lightning within a 15km range of the specified location.

Welcoming the new service, Scout Association Assistant Headquarters Commissioner (Meteorology) Chan Ka-wing said it can help grasp quickly the distance of the lightning from event venues, enabling efficient and suitable arrangements to protect scouts.

Since its inception in June 2005, the lightning location information service has been well received with more than 4.7 million visits to the webpage.