The first weather buoy in Hong Kong

Members of the media visited the first weather buoy deployed in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Observatory this afternoon (August 22).

Located over the waters west of the Hong Kong International Airport, the weather buoy supplements the existing network of land-based automatic weather stations and provides useful information over the waters there.

Every ten seconds, the buoy radios wind, pressure, temperature and humidity data to the Hong Kong Observatory. The entire set-up operates on solar power and is very environmentally friendly.

Introducing the operation of the weather buoy, Dr Lee Boon-ying, Assistant Director of the Hong Kong Observatory in charge of Aviation Weather Services, said, "Operating for merely over six months, the buoy has proved to be valuable to weather forecasting. On many occasions, it has enabled us to issue more timely alerts of windshear caused by sea breeze and passage of cold fronts. The Air Traffic Controller passes such alerts to aircraft pilots in good time."

"The buoy is also useful in monitoring severe weather such as tropical cyclone, severe thunderstorm and high winds. In implementing the buoy, the Observatory worked closely with the Marine Department in the design, installation and maintenance processes," he added.

Location of the weather buoy and land-based weather stations in and around the airport

An Observatory personnel working on the weather buoy