Former Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) director Shun Chi-ming said today (May 16) that extreme weather events are expected to become increasingly frequent globally, while HK continues to face challenges including typhoons, heavy rainfall, heatwaves and droughts.
Speaking at a seminar jointly organized by the Hong Kong Red Cross and the Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shun said that under the influence of the El Niño phenomenon, HK could experience even more intense heatwaves and rainstorms this year. He expressed hope that public awareness of climate issues could be further strengthened.
Shun noted that HK recorded 53 very hot days and 54 hot nights last year, both ranking among the top three highest on record. He said the associated safety risks facing the community have also escalated.
According to Shun, HK records around 200 to 300 heatwave-related deaths annually. He said elderly people and those with chronic illnesses often struggle to adapt to extreme heat conditions, describing the figure as "quite high" and even higher than the death toll caused by some other natural disasters. He urged the public to pay greater attention to the dangers posed by heatwaves.
Shun also pointed to the number of No. 10 hurricane signals issued by the HKO. Since 1946, HK has experienced eight super typhoons strong enough to warrant the highest storm warning signal, with four occurring within the past decade — Typhoon Hato, Typhoon Mangkhut, Typhoon Saola and last year's Typhoon Ragasa.
He warned that if global ecological conditions continue to deteriorate, super typhoons could continue to occur from time to time. However, he stressed that the paths of such storms can change rapidly and remain difficult to predict in advance.
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