The Hong Kong Observatory has said that the number of T8 storm warnings this year was ‘unusual’, after raising the signal for a fifth time last week as Typhoon Khanun skirted to the south of Hong Kong.
While 2017’s statistics are still a way off those of 2008, when nine Signal No. 8 warnings were raised, other years have seen significantly less. Senior scientific officer Lee Tsz Cheung told RTHK that one of the reasons for an increased number of No. 8 signals could be the higher-than-normal sea temperatures in the Northwest Pacific and northern parts of the South China Sea, in conjunction with a subtropical ridge in the Northwest Pacific.
In 2016, just three T8 signals were raised in Hong Kong, the last being Super Typhoon Haima, which developed late in the season, passing the territory on October 22. Previous years saw an average of two or less Signal No. 8 warnings.
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