Severe Tropical Storm Hagupit (23W){0218} ... affected Hong Kong from 10th until 18th September 2002

Current world-wide storm information:

Signal History

Typhoon Signal Number One (Stand By) was hoisted at 14:40 HKT on 10th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was hoisted at 15:20 HKT on 10th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was lowered at 22:30 HKT on 10th September 2002.
Typhoon Signal Number Three (Strong Winds) was hoisted at 05:40 HKT on 11th September 2002.
Typhoon Signal Number Eight (Gale Force Winds) was hoisted at 13:40 HKT on 11th September 2002.
Typhoon Signal Number Three (Strong Winds) was hoisted at 01:40 HKT on 12th September 2002.
All Typhoon Signals were lowered at 05:40 HKT on 12th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was hoisted at 10:40 HKT on 12th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was lowered at 11:40 HKT on 12th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was hoisted at 11:55 HKT on 13th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was lowered at 14:15 HKT on 13th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was hoisted at 09:10 HKT on 14th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was lowered at 11:10 HKT on 14th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was hoisted at 19:20 HKT on 14th September 2002.
The Amber Rainstorm Signal was hoisted at 21:10 HKT on 14th September 2002.
The Red Rainstorm Signal was hoisted to replace the Amber at 03:30 HKT on 15th September 2002.
The Landslip Warning was hoisted at 03:45 HKT on 15th September 2002.
The Amber Rainstorm Signal was hoisted to replace the Red at 06:15 HKT on 15th September 2002.
The Amber Rainstorm Signal was lowered at 09:55 HKT on 15th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was lowered at 18:30 HKT on 15th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was hoisted at 19:30 HKT on 15th September 2002.
The Landslip Warning was lowered at 20:30 HKT on 15th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was lowered at 05:30 HKT on 16th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was hoisted at 12:15 HKT on 16th September 2002.
The Amber Rainstorm Signal was hoisted at 23:30 HKT on 16th September 2002.
The Landslip Warning was hoisted at 01:30 HKT on 17th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was lowered at 05:30 HKT on 17th September 2002.
The Amber Rainstorm Signal was lowered at 05:50 HKT on 17th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was hoisted at 07:40 HKT on 17th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was lowered at 10:40 HKT on 17th September 2002.
The Landslip Warning was lowered at 12::45 HKT on 17th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was hoisted at 13:00 HKT on 17th September 2002.
The Amber Rainstorm Signal was hoisted at 18:05 HKT on 17th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was lowered at 21:00 HKT on 17th September 2002.
The Amber Rainstorm Signal was lowered at 21:00 HKT on 17th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was hoisted at 23:00 HKT on 17th September 2002.
The Thunderstorm Warning was lowered at 05:00 HKT on 18th September 2002.

Storm Reports

Storm reports will be included here as they come to hand.
They will mainly be e-mail messages from me or from others.
Keep returning to check the page frequently.

From: "Phil Smith"
To: "Cyclones Interest Group"
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2002 21:01:45 +0800
Subject: Re: A Nice Gift on your Birthday! The 23W fireworks display!

Firstly thanks everybody for your greetings.
Well, several of you guys were right!  A Typhoon Signal for my birthday!
The HK Observatory hoisted Typhoon Signal Number One at 14:40 local time today.  They followed this up by hoisting the Thunderstorm warning at 15:20.
As I left work at about 16:10 and headed for home the wind was already picking up in a typical pre-storm fashion and the sky was becoming threateningly dark for mid-afternoon.
At about 18:00 the kids and I did the birthday cake and blowing out the candles trick that kids love so much.  I observed the first few lightning strokes outside as the candles were being lit.
Then the lights were turned off for the singing of "Happy Birthday" and the lightning outside started in real earnest with nearby CGs pulsating brightly every couple of seconds.  And there were magnificent drum rolls of nearly continuous thunder.
I took the kids to the window and said "look at the wonderful fireworks display that God has put on for my birthday party!"
I wasn't really able to watch the storm all that much because of the celebrations, but the lightning was pretty frequent for well over an hour.
Now as I type at about 20:55 I can hear the rain beating down and there are still occasional rumbles of distant thunder.

As 23W is definitely on the way I shall start capturing observations to record it.  Here's the current obs:

Date/Time: 10/9/2002 20:40
Station        Temp RH   Max/Min  Dir/Speed Barometer HI
               (C)  (%)    (C)      (km/h)   (hPa)     (C)
----------------------------------------------------------
HK Observatory 26.3  95 31.7/25.9 ---/----- 1004.8  
King's Park    25.7  91 ----/---- VRB/  0.4 1004.5  
Wong Chuk Hang 25.7  95 33.1/25.4 N  /  5.0 ------  
Ta Kwu Ling    25.2  98 34.1/25.1 S  /  9.0 1004.7   
Lau Fau Shan   25.2  98 31.8/25.2 S  / 13.0 1004.6  
Tai Po         26.5  89 32.9/26.2 ---/----- 1005.0  
Sha Tin        25.6  95 34.0/25.5 S  /  2.0 1005.2  
Tuen Mun       25.9  98 32.6/25.0 S  /  1.0 ------  
Tseung Kwan O  25.4  98 33.6/25.0 N  /  5.0 ------  
Sai Kung       25.2  95 31.6/24.5 N  /  4.0 ------  
Cheung Chau    24.8  96 34.0/24.8 N  / 16.0 1005.0  
Chek Lap Kok   27.1  87 32.6/26.2 E  / 17.0 1004.9  
Tsing Yi       26.0  92 33.6/25.5 N  / 10.0 ------   
Shek Kong      26.0  99 34.3/25.1 ---/----- 1004.6 

And the Observatory's latest warning message:

Bulletin issued at 18:57 HKT 10/Sep/2002
TROPICAL CYCLONE BULLETIN

Here is the latest Tropical Cyclone Advisory Bulletin
issued by the Hong Kong Observatory.

A Tropical Cyclone Alert is now in effect and the Standby
Signal, No. 1 has been issued.

This means that a tropical cyclone now centred within about
800 kilometres of Hong Kong may affect us.

At 7 p.m. the tropical depression over the northern part
of the South China Sea was centred about 500 kilometres
east-southeast of Hong Kong (near 19.8 degrees north
118.2 degrees east) and is forecast to move west-northwest
at about 12 kilometres per hour across the northern part
of the South China Sea.

According to the forecast track, the tropical depression will skirt
about 200 kilometres to the south of Hong Kong from tomorrow night
to the day after tomorrow. Local winds will strengthen and winds
will be strong offshore and on high ground.

In the next couple of days, the outer rainband of the tropical
depression will affect the south China coastal areas. There will be
scattered squally showers in Hong Kong.

(Precautionary Announcements with No. 1 Signal)
(1)
If you are planning to visit Macau, any of the off-shore
islands or remote parts of Hong Kong, you are reminded that
changes in weather may affect your plans.
(2)
Some precautions against damage should be taken now, gutters and
drains should be cleared of obstructions. Hinges, bolts, locks
and shutters of windows and doors should be checked.
(3)
People living in wooden huts and in low-lying areas should take
necessary precautions against strong winds and flooding.
(4)
Listen to your radio or watch your TV for further weather
information.

Time to go to bed now.  More to follow when there is something
significant to report.

Phil
<><

From: "Phil Smith"
To: [snip]
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 09:57:07 +0800
Subject: Morning report on Tropical Storm 23W

By 04:00 there was enough wind noise outside to awaken me.  When I checked AWS readings on the web I noticed stations with a 10 Minute Mean Wind Speed of 50+ km/h so I guessed correctly that HKO would hoist Signal Three before the Education Department meeting at 05:45.  They hoisted it at 05:40 and the Education Department closed all Kindergartens.
Outside the wind was blowing quite noisily and the rain was teeming down so I captured the AWS graphs and observations for my storm page.
AT about 07:30 I went outside to catch a taxi and there were 40 or 50 people in the queue and not a taxi to be seen so I travelled by bus and train to Fo Tan.
It was raining and gusty as I walked from the train station to work at about 08:00, but an hour later I looked out a window and observed that the rain and wind had both stopped.
Looking out now at 09:45, the branches are swaying but whole trees are not.  There is no sign of rain but a lot of water lying on the ground.
The clouds are racing across the sky at a very rapid rate.  We are protected here by the nearby mountains.
At 09:45 the most recent obs I can capture are 09:10:

<pre>
Date/Time: 11/9/2002 09:10
Station        Temp RH   Max/Min  Dir/Speed Barometer HI
               (C)  (%)    (C)      (km/h)   (hPa)     (C)
----------------------------------------------------------
HK Observatory 26.3  91 28.0/24.9 ---/----- 1002.2  
King's Park    ---- --- ----/---- N  / 21.0 ------  
Wong Chuk Hang 26.3  87 28.1/24.6 E  / 33.0 ------  
Ta Kwu Ling    26.0  83 27.6/24.2 N  / 23.0 1003.2  
Lau Fau Shan   24.7  95 26.5/24.1 N  / 23.0 1002.7  
Tai Po         27.2  79 29.1/25.8 ---/----- 1002.9  
Sha Tin        27.1  80 28.1/24.7 N  / 21.0 1003.1  
Tuen Mun       25.1  94 26.9/24.4 N  / 13.0 ------   
Tseung Kwan O  26.1  91 27.4/24.4 E  / 18.0 ------  
Sai Kung       26.0  91 27.3/24.2 N  / 46.0 ------   
Cheung Chau    24.9  95 26.1/23.9 E  / 52.0 1001.5  
Chek Lap Kok   25.9  89 28.9/25.2 N  / 39.0 1002.2  
Tsing Yi       25.9  85 27.4/24.3 N  /----- ------   
Shek Kong      25.7  96 26.9/24.5 ---/----- 1002.7
</pre>

As this e-mail client allows for no formatting of any sort, I hope the HTML tags I put around the above table will help at your end.

Here is the current warning from the observatory:

<pre>
Bulletin issued at 07:55 HKT 11/Sep/2002
TROPICAL CYCLONE BULLETIN

Here is the latest Tropical Cyclone Warning issued by the
Hong Kong Observatory.

The Strong Wind Signal, No. 3 has been issued.

This means that winds with mean speeds of 41 to 62 kilometres per
hour are expected.

At 8 a.m. the tropical storm over the northern part of the South
China Sea was estimated to be about 180 kilometres south of Hong
Kong (near 20.7 degrees north 114.5 degrees east) and is forecast
to move west-northwest at about 15 kilometres per hour towards
the western part of Guangdong.

As the tropical storm is gradually edging closer to Hong Kong,
local winds are strengthening with heavy squally showers.
Members of the public are reminded to take necessary precautions.

During the past hour, the mean wind speed recorded at Cheung Chau
was 39 kilometres per hour, while that recorded at Waglan Island
was 71 kilometres per hour.

(Precautionary Announcements with No. 3 Signal)

(1)

Since seas are very rough, you are advised to stay away
from the shoreline and not to engage in water sports.

(2)

Engineers, architects and contractors are again reminded that
all scaffoldings, hoardings and temporary buildings should be
secured.

(3)
Small craft owners should now complete arrangements for the
safety of their boats.

(4)
Listen to your radio or watch your TV for further weather
broadcasts.
</pre>

The most noticeable effect of the storm to date is that Internet access to weather data has become very difficult.  Pages are timing out on a 2GHz computer connected directly to a 10 Mbps line and I am sitting at a desk less than a kilometre away from the HKIX - the huge Internet Exchange that serves this whole region.

The observatory claims that the centre of the storm is now 180 km south of Hong Kong.

More later.

Phil
<><

From: "Phil Smith"
Reply-To:
Date:  Wed, 11 Sep 2002 13:28:34 +0800

Just a brief note to say that we are in utter chaos here.  The observatory has announced the proposed hoisting of Typhoon Signal number Eight, which means we must evacuate the school.
The Internet is still operational although the phone system seems to have totally collapsed.  The landline phones are not working at all. Mobile (cellular) phone system cells also appear to have failed.  All teachers with mobile phones are unable to make calls.
Because of the above it is not possible to contact the kids' parents to find out if they will be home to meet their kids.
One wonders if the effects of an enforced evacuation might be more severe than sending the kids home at the regular time in the midst of the storm.

Will have something more sensible to say about the storm when I am able to find out more about it.
Here are the latest obs I can get from HK AWS's

Date/Time: 11/9/2002 13:10
Station        Temp RH   Max/Min  Dir/Speed Barometer HI
               (C)  (%)    (C)      (km/h)   (hPa)     (C)
----------------------------------------------------------
HK Observatory 26.6  82 28.0/24.9 ---/----- 1002.8  
King's Park    26.1  81 ----/---- E  / 35.6 1002.4  
Wong Chuk Hang 26.4  80 28.1/24.6 E  / 45.0 ------  
Ta Kwu Ling    25.9  87 27.6/24.2 E  / 27.0 1003.3  
Lau Fau Shan   26.6  80 26.7/24.1 E  / 26.0 1002.6  
Tai Po         27.8  73 29.1/25.8 ---/----- 1003.3  
Sha Tin        26.9  78 28.1/24.7 S  /  9.0 1004.3  
Tuen Mun       27.4  78 27.9/24.4 E  / 17.0 ------   
Tseung Kwan O  26.4  81 27.4/24.4 S  / 21.0 ------  
Sai Kung       26.4  80 27.3/24.2 S  / 39.0 ------   
Cheung Chau    24.6  93 26.1/23.9 E  / 82.0 1001.5  
Chek Lap Kok   27.2  82 28.9/25.2 E  / 58.0 1001.6  
Tsing Yi       26.0  79 27.4/24.3 E  / 55.0 ------   
Shek Kong      26.8  89 27.5/24.5 ---/----- 1002.7   


And here is the latest I can get from the observatory:

Bulletin issued at 12:19 HKT 11/Sep/2002
TROPICAL CYCLONE BULLETIN

Here is the latest Tropical Cyclone Warning issued by the
Hong Kong Observatory.

The Strong Wind Signal, No. 3 has been issued.

This means that winds with mean speeds of 41 to 62 kilometres per
hour are expected.

At noon Severe Tropical Storm Hagupit was estimated to be about
170 kilometres south of Hong Kong (near 20.8 degrees north
114.2 degrees east) and is forecast to move west-northwest at about
15 kilometres per hour towards the western part of Guangdong.

Strong winds are generally prevailing over the territory now, winds
are reaching gale occasionally offshore and on high ground.

As Hagupit is gradually edging closer, local winds are becoming
southeasterlies. Some places of the territory will become more exposed
and winds will strengthen further. The Observatory is expected to issue
the No.8 Gale or Storm Signal in 2 hours. Members of the public are
reminded to take necessary precautions.

During the past hour, the mean wind speed recorded at Star Ferry
was 45 kilometres per hour, while that recorded at Cheung Chau
was 74 kilometres per hour.

(Precautionary Announcements with No. 3 Signal)

(1)
You are advised not to delay in taking all precautions to
protect your home or property. make sure now that all loose
objects are secure. porch furniture, flower pots and other
objects likely to be blown away should be taken indoors. Check
again and make sure all windows and doors can be securely
locked.

(2)
Storm water drains should be cleared of leaves and rubbish, this
applies particularly to dwellers in low-lying areas.

(3)
Since seas are very rough, you are advised to stay away
from the shoreline and not to engage in water sports.

(4)
For safety reasons, it is suggested that all outdoor activities
be cancelled.

(5)
Engineers, architects and contractors are again reminded that
all scaffoldings, hoardings and temporary buildings should be
secured.

(6)
Fishing vessels not yet in typhoon shelters should seek shelter
without delay. Check again that all deck fittings are firmly
fastened. If available, heavy anchors should be prepared and used
in addition to regular anchors.

(7)
Listen to your radio or watch your TV for further weather
broadcasts.

PRE - NO. 8  SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT.

THE GOVERNMENT ADVISES THE PUBLIC THAT IN VIEW OF
THE APPROACH OF SEVERE TROPICAL STORM HAGUPIT,
WINDS LOCALLY WILL STRENGTHEN FURTHER AND THE ISSUANCE OF
A TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNAL NUMBER 8 IS EXPECTED
WITHIN THE NEXT TWO HOURS.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HAVING LONG OR DIFFICULT HOME JOURNEYS
OR HAVING TO RETURN TO OUTLYING ISLANDS ARE ADVISED TO BEGIN
THEIR JOURNEYS NOW. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOW MAKING ARRANGEMENTS
TO RELEASE ITS EMPLOYEES ACCORDINGLY.

More later - probably from my home computer.

Phil
<><

From: "Phil Smith"
To: "_Cyclone Chat Group"
Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 22:52:07 +0800
Subject: Wed. evening report on STS Hagupit.

I think everybody got the brief e-mail in which I described the chaos surrounding the hoisting of Typhoon Signal Eight this afternoon.  If anybody doesn't know what I am talking about ask and I shall resend it.

The general communications breakdown lasted for many hours as all the computers used to switch telephones in HK hung.  Before the computers failed there were many millions of simultaneous calls in progress.  It was nearly 18:00 before I could get a dial tone.

Details of other massive failures resulting from bureaucratic stupidity gone mad would be too off-topic and boring to relate and will no doubt make headlines in news services.

Although evacuation orders were made at about 12:00 it was 15:30 before the last people could be bussed out and I could bring down all the computers and lock up.
Therefore I was indoors until 15:30 although I went to a window and looked out a few times earlier to see trees whipping about violently and clouds racing across the sky from SE to NW.

As I walked to the train station I saw that anyone who actually attempted to use an umbrella was fighting a losing battle.  Authorities still trying to clear a multi-bus pile-up from a road nearby explained why evacuation had taken so long. [See note below] Down on the train platform, many people were hanging onto posts for fear of being blown away.  To me it wasn't really that bad.
When I left the train and attempted to board a bus, I was confronted by more chaos - the population of our country township is approximately one million and it seemed like half of them were in that bus terminus trying to get home!

I saw on local TV that a scaffolding from a construction site in Central Hong Kong had collapsed on top of a passing  double-decker tram (US = "trolley car") and a bus resulting in a number of pasengers being taken to hospital.
There were many reports of other wind damage, but I did not hear of any other casualties.

The noise of the wind is like a wailing banshee as I type and it has been this way now for several hours.  The rain is very heavy for a period and then there is none - clearly there are successive rainbands passing over us.

Current obs:

Date/Time: 11/9/2002 22:30
Station        Temp RH   Max/Min  Dir/Speed Barometer HI
               (C)  (%)    (C)      (km/h)   (hPa)     (C)
----------------------------------------------------------
HK Observatory 26.1  84 28.0/23.8 ---/----- 1006.0  
King's Park    25.7  79 ----/---- E  / 29.9 1005.7  
Wong Chuk Hang 27.0  71 28.1/23.2 E  / 39.0 ------  
Ta Kwu Ling    25.5  87 27.6/24.0 E  / 26.0 1006.1  
Lau Fau Shan   25.8  75 27.4/23.4 E  / 24.0 1005.4  
Tai Po         27.5  73 29.1/24.6 ---/----- 1006.3  
Sha Tin        26.2  83 28.1/24.3 E  / 12.0 1006.9  
Tuen Mun       26.1  78 27.9/22.2 S  / 11.0 ------   
Tseung Kwan O  25.9  86 27.4/23.6 S  / 14.0 ------  
Sai Kung       25.8  88 27.3/23.9 E  / 22.0 ------   
Cheung Chau    24.7  88 26.1/22.6 E  / 79.0 1005.0  
Chek Lap Kok   26.4  75 28.9/24.0 S  / 44.0 1004.9  
Tsing Yi       25.6  79 27.4/23.4 E  / 46.0 ------   
Shek Kong      26.2  86 27.5/24.2 ---/----- 1005.2   

And a recent warning from the HK Observatory:

Bulletin issued at 22:05 HKT 11/Sep/2002
TROPICAL CYCLONE BULLETIN

Here is the latest Tropical Cyclone Warning issued by the Hong Kong
Observatory.

The No. 8 Southeast Gale or Storm Signal is in force.

This means that winds with mean speeds of 62 kilometres per hour
or more are expected from the southeast quarter.

At 10 p.m., Severe Tropical Storm Hagupit was estimated to be about
170 kilometres southwest of Hong Kong (near 21.3 degrees north
112.9 degrees east) and is forecast to move west-northwest at about
15 kilometres per hour towards the western part of Guangdong.

In the past couple of hours, Hagupit started to move away from Hong
Kong gradually. According to the forecast track, Hong Kong will exit
the gales of Hagupit in the small hours tomorrow.

Currently, gale force winds prevail over the southwestern part of the
territory. Winds occasionally reach storm force on high ground.

During the past hour, the mean wind speed recorded at Star Ferry
was 37 kilometres per hour with maximum gust at 58 kilometres per hour,
while those recorded at Cheung Chau were 80 kilometres per hour and
maximum gust at 105 kilometres per hour.

(Precautionary Announcements with No. 8 Signal)

(1)
Complete all precautions in your home. Lock all windows and
doors, fit bars into position and insert reinforced shutters and
gates if they are available. Adhesive tape fixed to large window-
panes in exposed positions will reduce damage by broken glass.
Storm water drains should be cleared of leaves and rubbish.

(2)
Do not stand near windows on the exposed side of your home. Move
all furniture and valuables away from these areas. Make sure you
have a safe place to shelter, should windows be broken.

(3)
Owners of neon signs are reminded that they should now arrange
for the electricity supply to their signs to be cut off.

(4)
Since seas are very rough, you are advised to stay away
from the shoreline and not to engage in water sports.

(5)
Weather information is being broadcast at the 15th, 30th, 45th
and 58th  minute of each hour. Please listen to your radio or
watch your TV for the weather information.

More to come tomorrow morning.

Phil
<><
[NOTE]: The "pile-up" referred to in this e-mail turned out to be a Fatal incident in which one male pedestrian was hit and knocked down and killed by a private light bus as he ran across the road at the height of the storm.  The other buses which I had seen were at skewed angles all over the road where they had managed to stop without actually colliding with the first bus.  This incident, only 200 metres from where I work, was the only recorded fatality in Hong Kong during the passage of STS Hagupit.

From: "Phil Smith"
To: Cyclones Interest Group
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2002 15:43:17 +0800
Subject: Final Report on Hagupit

Hagupit evidently weakened and moved off so quietly that I slept in this
morning and have been trying to make up for lost time ever since.
By the time I awoke, all Typhoon Signals had been lowered and the world
was pretty much back to normal - still cloudy, a bit of breeze about, and
water lying on the ground.  I quickly captured some observations and the
TC warning so I could use them when I eventually got around to writing
this.

Obs at 06:10 this morning:

<PRE>
Date/Time: 12/9/2002 06:10
Station        Temp RH   Max/Min  Dir/Speed Barometer HI
               (C)  (%)    (C)      (km/h)   (hPa)     (C)
----------------------------------------------------------
HK Observatory 26.6  88 27.0/26.4 ---/----- 1006.9  
King's Park    26.0  88 ----/---- SE / 17.6 1006.5  
Wong Chuk Hang 26.7  87 27.6/26.6 S  / 23.0 ------  
Ta Kwu Ling    26.6  84 27.1/25.9 S  / 16.0 1006.5  
Lau Fau Shan   26.8  82 27.8/26.6 S  / 20.0 1006.2  
Tai Po         27.7  78 28.7/27.7 ---/----- 1006.7  
Sha Tin        27.1  83 27.8/26.8 S  / 17.0 1007.1  
Tuen Mun       27.0  84 27.6/26.4 S  / 28.0 ------   
Tseung Kwan O  26.3  90 27.0/26.1 S  / 16.0 ------  
Sai Kung       26.0  92 26.7/25.3 S  / 31.0 ------   
Cheung Chau    24.6  96 25.6/24.6 S  / 52.0 1006.5  
Chek Lap Kok   26.9  80 27.7/26.0 S  / 33.0 1006.2  
Tsing Yi       26.2  88 26.6/26.0 S  /----- ------   
Shek Kong      28.0  83 28.2/26.8 ---/----- 1006.2     32.6
</PRE>

Note that Cheung Chau still had significant wind even though all signals
had beeen lowered half an hour earlier.

HK Observatory Warning at 05:08:

Bulletin issued at 05:08 HKT 12/Sep/2002
TROPICAL CYCLONE BULLETIN

Here is the latest Tropical Cyclone Warning issued by the
Hong Kong Observatory.

The Strong Wind Signal, No. 3 has been issued.

This means that winds with mean speeds of 41 to 62 kilometres per
hour are expected.

At 5 a.m. Severe Tropical Storm Hagupit was estimated to be about
250 kilometres west-southwest of Hong Kong (near 21.8 degrees
north 111.8 degrees east) and is forecast to move west-northwest
at about 15 kilometres per hour across the western part of
Guangdong.

Hagupit has made landfall near Yangjiang over west Guangdong. It is
expected that Hagupit will weaken gradually in the next few hours.

As local winds remain strong and seas are rough, Strong Wind Signal
no.3 is still required. The Observatory will cancel all tropical
cyclone signals when Hagupit no longer poses any threat to the
territory.

(Precautionary Announcements with No. 3 Signal)

(1)
You should not relax taking precautions as strong winds are
still blowing and unsecured objects may be blown down. On no
account should you touch electric cables that have been blown
loose.

(2)
Since seas are very rough, you are advised to stay away
from the shoreline and not to engage in water sports.

(3)
Listen to your radio or watch your TV for further weather
broadcasts.

HK Observatory warning issued at 05:57:

Bulletin issued at 05:57 HKT 12/Sep/2002
Here is the latest Tropical Cyclone Bulletin issued by the
Hong Kong Observatory.

All signals were cancelled at 5:40 a.m.

At 6 a.m. Severe Tropical Storm Hagupit was centred about
270 kilometres west-southwest of Hong Kong (near 21.8 degrees
north 111.6 degrees east) and is forecast to move west-northwest
at about 15 kilometres per hour across west Guangdong.

Hagupit has made landfall near Yangjiang and will weaken gradually.

Locally, winds offshore and on high ground remain strong and seas are
rough at first. Members of the public should keep alert.


This will be the last report unless other news comes to hand.

Phil
<><
During the passage of STS Hagupit near Hong Kong, one person was killed in a motor vehicle incident [see Note above], 32 people were injured, 37 people were rescued at sea by the Government Flying Service, 40 flights wee cancelled and many others were delayed, ferry services and some bus routes were suspended.

Hagupit returned to haunt HK until 18th September (see the Signal History above).

Here are some excerpts from e-mail discussions during this time edited to remove a million > characters and to [snip] out irrelevant sections:

From: Phil Smith
To: Michael V. Padua (and Cyclone interest Group)
Sent: Sunday, 15 September, 2002 16:27
Subject: Re: Next Super Typhoon? Hope so!
Yes Mike, it's been raining hard here most of the day.  Yesterday the Thunderstorm Warning was going up and down like a yo-yo and we had many magnificent thunderstorms.  Downside was the thunderstorms woke the kids up during the night.
This morning we had Landslide Warnings added and the Amber Rainstorm Signal was up for the morning but has been lowered now.
It certainly looks to me like Hagupit is coming back for seconds.  No wind to speak of though.
Phil
<><
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Michael V. Padua
  To: Phil Smith ; Jim Leonard (and Cyclone Interest Group)
  Sent: Sunday, 15 September, 2002 08:43
  Subject: Next Super Typhoon? Hope so!
  Dear Jim and All,
[snip]
  Meanwhile, It looks like the remnants of Hagupit is currently in the
vicinity of HK. How's the condition there Phil? Is it raining hard?  
[snip]
  Until then,
  Mike =;-)

From: "Phil Smith"
To: "Gary Padgett" (and Cyclones Interest Group)
Sent: Sunday, 15 September, 2002 21:29
Subject: Re: Next Super Typhoon? Hope so!

[Me responding to Gary who had responded to Mike]: I agree with you there Gary.  Also JTWC are referring to 96W as the "Remnants of Hagupit" which strongly suggests they will use the same name and probably do so before JMA does.
I have just been looking at the satpic animations and it seems to me that there is a lot of cloud loosely swirling around but with no real organisation.  Sometimes it looks like the centre is approaching HK, sometimes you can't tell where the centre is.
My guess is that we will not see any TC signals hoisted in HK, but that we might well see a Monsoon signal hoisted.  That's what HKO do if it gets real windy and they don't want to upgrade it to a TC.

Phil
<><

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gary Padgett"
To: "Michael V. Padua" ; "Phil Smith" (and Cyclones Interest Group)
Sent: Sunday, 15 September, 2002 18:30
Subject: Re: Next Super Typhoon? Hope so!

Hi Mike and All,
[Mike]: It's been raining (light to moderate sometimes heavy) too here since 11:30 am HK time after the remnants of Disturbance 95W passed by.  At this moment it had stopped. :-).  Oh well, it looks like HAGUPIT is coming back to life. I might not be surprised to see a JTWC warning around 11pm (15Z) tonight. Now, the question is: will JMA considers it as the same-old HAGUPIT? :-O

[Gary responding to Mike]: My guess is that if it should re-intensify into a tropical storm, JMA will consider it to be a redevelopment of Hagupit.   They've been continually calling it a tropical depression in the Warning and Summary bulletins ever since it was downgraded.
[end of edited e-mail]

On Sunday 15th September, many rooms at International Christian School Elementary in Fo Tan were totally flooded.  Fortunately only a few minor items of equipment were damaged.

On Tuesday 17th September during a thunderstorm International Christian School Secondary at Kowloon City was struck by lightning burning out about a dozen hubs and switches in the campus-wide computer network.

On Tuesday 17th September a landslip occurred behind the home of one of the teachers at our school.  She was evacuated and her family had to stay with friends for several days.  The water supply to her home had still not been re-installed as of 27th September so they were carrying water in buckets up to their house.

From: Phil Smith
To: Gary Padgett (and Cyclone Interest Group)
Sent: Tuesday, 17 September, 2002 22:23
Subject: Re: A Large TC developing off Philippine Sea?

Well, HKO have been predicting that it would go away but it still keeps lingering longer.  
When it finally stops I plan to put together a list of the almost unbelievable sequence of weather warnings up and down like yo-yos for the last several days and I shall add it to my Hagupit page and share it with the group.
At the moment HKO is forecasting as follows:

ISSUED BY HONG KONG OBSERVATORY AT 21:45 HKT 17 SEP 2002

Here is the latest weather bulletin issued by
the Hong Kong Observatory.

A broad area of low pressure continues to bring
rainy weather to the south China coastal areas and
the northern part of the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, a northeast monsoon is affecting
southern China. Locally, the heavy rain in the
evening brought more than 30 millimetres of rain
to the eastern part of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon,
Tsuen Wan, Clear Water Bay, Tseung Kwan O and Sha
Tin.

Weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow

Cloudy. Occasional heavy rain with a few squally
thunderstorms tonight and at first tomorrow. The
minimum temperature will be about 24 degrees.
Bright periods tomorrow afternoon with the
maximum temperature of around 27 degrees.
Moderate to fresh east to northeasterly winds.

Outlook: Sunny periods on Thursday and Friday.

At 21:30 tonight while I was coming home it was still teeming down, but as I alighted the bus, it conveniently stopped.

Checking out the satpic animations, it seems the whole thing is about dissipated everywhere else, but still patches of dense convection seem to be hovering over HK.

It's certainly hanging on tenaciously to wring out every last drop of rain over HK.

The rain gauge has passed the two metres mark for this year at about 18:00 HKT tonight.  At the beginning of the month the year-to-date total stood at 1,480mm which was about 240 short of the average of 1,725mm.  Normal September rainfall is around 300mm, but there had already been 620mm for September by 18:00.

If a few more TCs this year hang around like Hagupit, we might see some sort of a record.

Phil
<><
On 18th September the thunderstorms and rain finally stopped.  Hagupit had finally died.

Weather Station Graphs

24-Hour records captured at 05:30 HKT on 11th September:

Sha Tin Temperature and Humidity:

Sha Tin Mean Sea Level Pressure:

Sha Tin 10 Minute Mean Wind Direction:

Sha Tin 10 Minute Mean Wind Speed:

Cheung Chau 10 Minute Mean Wind Speed:

24-Hour records captured at 05:50 HKT on 12th September:

Sha Tin Temperature and Humidity:

Sha Tin Mean Sea Level Pressure:

Sha Tin 10 Minute Mean Wind Direction:

Sha Tin 10 Minute Mean Wind Speed:

Cheung Chau 10 Minute Mean Wind Speed:

All tables of HK AWS observations quoted above are Copyright (c) 2002 Weather Underground of Hong Kong and the data contained in them is Copyright (c) 2002 Hong Kong Observatory.  All Tropical Cyclone Warning Bulletins quoted above are Copyright (c) 2002 Hong Kong Observatory.  All graphs of 24 series records from weather stations displayed above are Copyright (c) 2002 Hong Kong Observatory.

The Hong Kong Observatory has a very full and detailed report on STS Hagupit at http://www.weather.gov.hk/informtc/hagupit/report.htm.

This page was last edited on 07/02/2008 at 08:49:39 HKT.

10/9/2002

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