The Observatory joined hands with MET Malaysia to promote development of rainfall nowcasting in southeast Asia

20 September 2019

At the invitation of the MET Malaysia, Mr WONG Wai-Kin, Senior Scientific Officer of the Hong Kong Observatory, visited Kuala Lumpur on 17 September 2019 to deliver lectures in a training workshop on the Observatory's SWIRLS nowcasting system and severe weather forecasting techniques. It is the first ever cooperation between the MET Malaysia and the Observatory in organising a forecast development project under the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee with a view to promoting rainfall nowcasting techniques, and supporting Members of the Typhoon Committee in implementing nowcasting system that combines forecasts from radar and high-resolution numerical weather prediction (NWP) model. The training workshop lasted for 10 days. Forecasters from the Thailand Meteorological Department and the Guangxi Meteorological Observatory of the China Meteorological Administration were invited to participate, and to apply their radar and NWP model data to conduct various forecast experiments on rainstorm cases.

Mr Wong introduced the principle and techniques of radar nowcasting. He also shared the Observatory's recent advances in deep learning nowcast, satellite nowcasting and application of ensemble prediction system in forecast of extreme rainfall events. HKO and MET Malaysia would continue strengthening the development of the nowcasting system in support of rainstorm forecast and warning services of Asian countries.

Mr WONG Wai-Kin, Senior Scientific Officer of the Hong Kong Observatory (third from left in the front row), Dr Fariza Yunis, Director of Research and Technical Development Division of the MET Malaysia (second from left in the front row) and other participants of the workshop.