The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) on Thursday said it expects between five and eight tropical storms to hit Hong Kong this year, with the typhoon season starting as early as June and potentially continuing until October or later.

The forecaster also said it expects the average temperature this year to be higher than usual, adding 2024 may prove to be one of the 10 warmest years on record here.

“Extreme weather can become more frequent because of climate change. So Hong Kong citizens are reminded to get prepared for extreme weather, especially pay close attention to the weather forecast and warnings issued by the observatory and get earlier prepared,” said HKO director Chan Pak-wai.

Discussing last year’s once-in-a-century rainstorm, Chan said the observatory would use technology to better prepare the city for severe weather, including replacing the weather radar at Tai Mo Shan.

“It's a kind of technology that can identify different kinds of precipitation types so that it will have better signals for capturing or monitoring hail. We expect that the monitoring of severe weather, just like hail and heavy rain, may be enhanced with the use of the new hardware.”

Chan added the HKO would make greater use of artificial intelligence to provide more timely and accurate forecasts going forward.