A New Chapter in China-Hong Kong Cooperation on Meteorological Services - The 26th Summer Universiade

16 August 2011

The 26th Summer Universiade, held from 12 to 23 August 2011 in Shenzhen, is yet another large-scale international sports event organized by China since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. The Hong Kong Observatory is committed to the success of the Shenzhen Universiade through strengthened communication and collaboration with the China Meteorological Administration on the provision of meteorological services for the Universiade.

To facilitate the smooth progress of the Universiade, the Observatory has been transmitting in real-time a variety of meteorological observations to the Shenzhen Meteorological Bureau, including the automatic weather station data, upper-air measurements, lightning data, weather radar data, wind profiler data and tidal station observations. The Observatory is also supplying the forecast products generated from its nowcasting system and numerical weather prediction modelling system to Shenzhen. These data are transmitted as frequently as once every 5 minutes, so as to facilitate the Shenzhen Meteorological Bureau in providing refined weather forecast and warning services for the race venues.

On the eve and on the day of the opening of the Universiade, i.e. 11-12 August, the Hong Kong Observatory for the first time ever participated in joint weather conference via video link with experts from the Mainland meteorological authorities, including the National Meteorological Center, the Guangdong Meteorological Bureau and the Shenzhen Meteorological Bureau, to discuss in detail the weather processes that might affect the opening ceremony of the Universiade. The joint weather conference marked a new chapter in China-Hong Kong cooperation on meteorological services.

Mrs. Hilda Lam, Acting Director of the Observatory (1st right), and her colleagues participated in the joint weather conference with the China Meteorological Administration