'Fewer but more powerful typhoons in future' - RTHK
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'Fewer but more powerful typhoons in future'

2025-10-12 HKT 11:18
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  • Former assistant director Leung Wing-mo says people should not complain about the lack of wind speed when a No. 8 signal is first raised. File photo: Reuters
    Former assistant director Leung Wing-mo says people should not complain about the lack of wind speed when a No. 8 signal is first raised. File photo: Reuters
A former assistant director at the Observatory predicts that more powerful tropical cyclones will occur in the future.

This year, the Observatory issued twelve Standby Signal No. 1 alerts, the highest number since 1946.

Leung Wing-mo, also a spokesperson for the Meteorological Society, pointed out that despite the record number, only a handful of the tropical cyclones that formed this year posed significant threat to the SAR.

He said scientists expect climate change to reduce the overall number of storms in future, but their intensity would increase.

“Currently, around 30 tropical cyclones form in the Western Pacific and the South China Sea each year. In the future, this may slightly decrease to between 26 to 28,” he told a Commercial Radio programme.

“However, the issue is that even if the total number declines, the proportion of very strong typhoons will rise. That's why super typhoons have occurred every year in recent times.”

Leung also said he noticed some people complaining about the lack of wind when the No. 8 signal was first raised when Super Typhoon Ragasa neared the city last month.

The meteorologist explained that, based on his observation, the Observatory now issues warning signals earlier than before, with the use of more advanced technology to help predict typhoon paths and strength.

The public should understand that even if a T8 signal has been issued, it only means the wind speed is expected to gradually intensify, he said.

'Fewer but more powerful typhoons in future'