TROPICAL CYCLONES IN 2004

3.1 Typhoon Conson (0404) : 5 - 11 June 2004

Conson formed as a tropical depression about 510 km west of Manila in the afternoon of 5 June. It moved slowly eastward at first and turned towards the north-northeast the next day. It brought torrential rain to central Luzon on 7 June. Conson intensified into a typhoon the following day. Conson turned northeast, crossed the Luzon Strait and traversed the seas east of Taiwan on 9 June. In Taiwan, some domestic flights were cancelled. Ferry services to outlying islands as well as rail services for Gaoxiong were suspended. Conson weakened into a severe tropical storm over the East China Sea on 10 June and eventually became an extratropical cyclone near the southern coast of Shikoku, Japan on the next day.

In Hong Kong the Standby Signal No. 1 was issued at 2.15 p.m. on 8 June soon after Conson attained typhoon strength about 670 km to the east-southeast. The maximum sustained winds and minimum sea-level pressure near the centre of Conson were estimated to be 130 km/h and 965 hPa respectively. At the Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters, the lowest hourly sea-level pressure of 1 007.5 hPa was recorded at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. that afternoon. Conson was closest to Hong Kong at 6 p.m. when it was around 660 km to the east-southeast. As Conson began to adopt a northeastward course and move away from Hong Kong, all tropical cyclone warning signals were cancelled at 4.30 a.m. on 9 June 2004.

Conson had not caused any casualty or damage in Hong Kong.

Information on wind and tide during the passage of Conson is given in Tables 3.1.1and 3.1.2. Figures 3.1.1 and 3.1.2 show the track of Conson and cloud imagery and radar echoes respectively.

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