Better to avoid false alarms on weather, says expert

A meteorological expert has cautioned against announcing school closures too early, saying that it was difficult to predict the severity of rainstorms too far in advance.

Showers and thunderstorms continue to affect Hong Kong, although it escaped the worst of the torrential rain battering Southern China yesterday.

Macau and other areas yesterday announced that schools would be closed today due to the rainfall but there was speculation that Hong Kong would follow suit.

However, a former assistant director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Leung Wing-mo from the Meteorological Society, told RTHK this was the first time neighbouring cities had made such arrangements, and he cautioned against creating false alarms.

Giving a warning as far ahead as 24 hours can sometimes give rise to false alarms,” he said. “It is a balance. We want to give adequate warning to the public at an advanced stage. But that will be good only if the forecast is correct.”