Newsletter Issue 32 (June 2023)

The Weather of May 2023 – A drier May

The weather of Hong Kong was drier than usual in May 2023. The monthly rainfall was 182.8 millimetres, about 37 percent below the normal of 290.6 millimetres in May. The accumulated rainfall recorded in the first five months of the year was 350.4 millimetres, about 41 percent below the normal figure of 590.9 millimetres for the same period. The month was also slightly warmer than usual with the mean temperature of 26.6 degrees, 0.3 degrees above the normal of 26.3 degrees.

World Meteorological Congress opens quadrennial session

The World Meteorological Congress opened its quadrennial session with a high-level dialogue on the international campaign to ensure that everyone in the world is protected by early warning systems by the end of 2027. “We need a strong WMO. We need meteorological services at the national level which also must be strong. They are the spine of WMO. We need them to provide reliable information on climate and to warn populations of natural hazards,” said Swiss President Alain Berset.

Congress agrees to scale up health services

The World Meteorological Congress has agreed to scale up services to protect public health given that climate-related illnesses, premature deaths, malnutrition and threats to mental health and well-being are increasing. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) stresses the need for transformational changes to health systems and proactive, timely and effective adaptation can reduce and potentially avoid many risks for human health and well-being.

WMO updates findings on role of meteorology and air quality in COVID-19 transmission

The WMO’s COVID-19 Task Team has issued its final report, confirming and updating its findings that meteorology and air quality played a secondary role on disease transmission compared to the influence of non-pharmaceutical interventions, vaccination campaigns, changing immunity profiles, introduction of variants, and behavioural dynamics. The associations between weather and COVID-19 incidence (via impacts on transmission) and severe outcomes are complex and likely non-linear.

風雲三號06星通過出廠評審 計畫於今年8月發射

與會專家聽取風雲三號06星出廠評審報告後表示，該星及其載荷各項研製和測試工作已全部完成，滿足出廠條件，一致同意通過出廠評審。風雲三號06星是風雲三號03批衛星的第三顆星，屬於上午軌道衛星，預計將於今年8月發射，其發射成功並在軌運行後，將接替風雲三號C星在軌業務。該星在完成低軌氣象衛星全球成像觀測和大氣垂直探測業務基礎上，以大氣定量探測和氣候變化監測為主，主要服務於天氣預報、大氣化學和氣候變化監測業務及研究。

NOAA index tracks how greenhouse gas pollution amplified global warming in 2022

Greenhouse gas pollution from human activity trapped 49 percent more heat in the atmosphere during 2022 than those same gases did in 1990, according to an annual NOAA report. “The AGGI continues to rise despite international efforts to curb emission of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels that seem to be falling short of their targets.” said Vanda Grubišić, director of NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory.

El Niño planet-warming weather phase has begun

A natural weather event known as El Niño has begun in the Pacific Ocean, likely adding heat to a planet already warming under climate change. US scientists confirmed that El Niño had started. Experts say it will likely make 2024 the world’s hottest year. They fear it will help push the world past a key 1.5C warming milestone. The event will likely last until next spring, after which its impacts will recede.

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