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From a nearby road to Tung Wan Beach; road just beyond here has been resurfaced, with bricks – looking better than it did before.
Hi Tom: Thanks for this. Yes, there are works underway here, but hopefully once they’re over, Cheung Chau will look v similar. Certainly nothing like the impact of a once-proposed scheme to widen all Peak Road – I believe that was to involve knocking down several houses and so on. Shot here from a street near Pak Tei temple. Martin
Article in HK Standard, on the multitude of development plans threatening Lantau:
Lantau disappearing under development waveQuote:Hong Kong’s worsening air pollution is driving away expatriates and threatening foreign investment according to a survey released Sunday by the American Chamber of Commerce. A poll of 140 top executives working for the chamber’s member companies showed that almost four out of five knew someone who had either left Hong Kong or was thinking of leaving because of poor air quality.The survey also revealed that 95 per cent of respondents were worried about air quality in Hong Kong and the potential long-term effects on the health of themselves and their children.
Its’ a long way from Gold Coast!
– if you’ve map taking you all around to Sai Kung, can surely find from there.
Not sure re undertows and boats; have been on boat to Ham Tin – but too choppy really that day, had to jump off in fairly deep water.
MartinSouth China Morning Post is among media with questions re whether HK Observatory was correct to only issue Number 3 signal yesterday, when west of Hong Kong experiencing storm and even hurricane force winds, and there were gales blowing in the harbour. Does seem a grave error, apparently making a mockery of the signals. (It may not have been crucial to close down the city, but there were dangerous winds. Perhaps the outmoded signalling system is at least partly to blame; also HK Observatory being rather stick in the mud, or even erring on side of caution with regard to effect on business.
In email re this, Roger Kendrick suggests "Surely with the level of technology now available it is easier to be more specific with regard to warnings." Much discussion of this on Weather Underground forum; one post making a point I’d noticed: bulletin(s) from HKO mentioned winds at, say, Waglan – but not Cheung Chau, where winds far more powerful; was this partly to cloud the issue, make it seem more reasonable to not issue Number 8?
I earlier (2004) had email discussion with KY Yeung of HK Observatory, regarding my impression that Number 8 signal is not great: are times when it is issued and looks like could be far worse than gales to come, other times when gales are all that appear likely: in first case, closing down Hong Kong seems wise, while shutting much of the city for gales not so wise. I’d suggested having two different signals for these situations (tho Number 9 – increasing gale or storm signal – could play stronger role here). Yesterday was perhaps one of the more borderline cases: the eye was virtually certainly missing Hong Kong, by fair distance; yet there were gales and even stronger winds. No need, then, to close all Hong Kong, yet should have warned of dangers, and regional variations. People living on Cheung Chau, say, maybe should not have had to take ferries to jobs in the city. Hong Kong Number 8 tropical cyclone warning needs revamping?
Back on Internet, on HK Observatory site: 10-minute average winds at Cheung Chau peaked at 115 km/hr at 5pm – just short of hurricane force. While at Ngong Ping, 10-min average winds rose to around 170 km/hr, and then no more weather data: gotta suspect the equipment got wrecked by the winds (here, at least Category 2 on hurricane scale, tho this for 1-min average I think).
Post edited by: Martin, at: 2006/08/03 18:48
fishing boats huddled together in the typhoon shelter, as squalls blast across Cheung Chau [img]https://www.hkoutdoors.com/components/com_joomlaboard/uploaded/images/prapiroonccboatsrain.JPG[/img]
And a little before 5pm, heavy rain indeed falling, with great gusts sweeping across rooftops, through streets, and sending spray scudding across the typhoon shelter (which indeed relatively sheltered from predominantly easterly winds). [img]https://www.hkoutdoors.com/components/com_joomlaboard/uploaded/images/prapiroonccsquall.JPG[/img]
During the afternoon, HK Obs radar showed rain bands towards centre of Prapiroon were close to western HK. Here, not too much rain CC waterfront, but dark beyond the typhoon shelter – the heavy rain indeed closing in. Rather dark at the time, as clouds thickening overhead.
Tho "only" Number 3 signal up, winds recorded at Cheung Chau have been storm force – 10-minute average in range 85-105 km/hr – for much of this morning. – while chart for Ngong Ping shows sustained winds of over hurricane force (ie over 118 km/hr – actually reaching over 130 km/hr for 10-min average); Charlie Frew has emailed re gusts there reaching 176 km/hr
Post edited by: Martin, at: 2006/08/03 12:39
east-west running street acting like a wind tunnel; brolly carriers beware [img]https://www.hkoutdoors.com/components/com_joomlaboard/uploaded/images/prapiroonbrolly.JPG[/img]
Meanwhile, back on the main Praya – in lee of main winds – some folk drinking coffee, others working, or heading to ferries [img]https://www.hkoutdoors.com/components/com_joomlaboard/uploaded/images/prapiroonprayarain.JPG[/img]
