| Year |
Events |
| 1883 |
Hong Kong Observatory was established. |
| 1884 |
Regular meteorological observations commenced.
Tropical cyclone warning system - the earliest marine meteorological service - was instituted. |
| 1885 |
The time ball was dropped for the first time at the Police Station at Tsim Sha Tsui. |
| 1892 |
Port meteorological service commenced. |
| 1908 |
Weather reports from ships were received by wireless telegraphy. |
| 1915 |
Wireless broadcast of marine weather forecasts commenced. |
| 1921 |
Pilot balloon observations began.
Seismological measurement began. |
| 1928 |
Broadcast of weather forecasts on Radio Hong Kong began. |
| 1937 |
Aviation weather service commenced. |
| 1948 |
Hong Kong joined the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), predecessor of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). |
| 1949 |
Radiosonde and radarsonde ascents began. |
| 1959 |
The first weather radar was installed. |
| 1961 |
Measurement of atmospheric radioactivity began. |
| 1964 |
Reception of Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) signal from polar-orbiting meteorological satellites. |
| 1967 |
Started issuing thunderstorm warning and heavy rain warning. |
| 1973 |
The first computer system was installed. |
| 1975 |
Hong Kong completely integrated into WMO's Global Telecommunications System (GTS) with three point-to-point circuits :-
Hong Kong - Tokyo (1969)
Hong Kong - Bangkok (1970)
Hong Kong - Beijing (1975)
The development of the first numerical weather prediction model started. |
| 1977 |
Reception of low-resolution satellite images from Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) of Japan Meteorological Agency.
Started issuing landslip warning. |
| 1979 |
A network of three short-period seismograph stations was established.
A numerical weather prediction model (the balanced barotropic model) was first operated on a routine basis.
Reception of high-resolution satellite images from Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) of Japan Meteorological Agency.
Five anemometers were installed over Kowloon city area and the runway at Kai Tak International Airport for experimental windshear detection over the airport. |
| 1980 |
A timing system based on a Caesium Beam Atomic Clock was acquired. |
| 1983 |
Provided 3-day weather forecasts. |
| 1984 |
The first two Automatic Weather Stations were established at the Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters and Sha Tin for providing public weather services. Another one was put into operation at Chek Lap Kok for providing aviation weather services.
The Observatory's real-time rainfall data acquisition system started operation. |
| 1985 |
The first automatic weather station jointly built by the Hong Kong
Observatory and the Guangdong Meteorological Bureau, commenced operation at Haungmao Zhou.
Dial-a-weather system was installed for the public.
The Radiation Laboratory at King's Park was established. |
| 1987 |
The Environmental Radiation Monitoring Programme was established.
Observatory's scientific officers began hosting TV weather programmes. |
| 1988 |
A new numerical weather prediction model (the Limited Area Model)
focusing on small scale weather disturbances affecting Hong Kong and its vicinity was implemented. |
| 1990 |
The Monitoring and Assessment Centre (radiological) was established. |
| 1992 |
A colour coded Rainstorm Warning System was introduced. |
| 1993 |
Measurement of ozone and radioactivity in the upper atmosphere were started. |
| 1994 |
The first Doppler weather radar started operation. |
| 1996 |
The Observatory home page was implemented on the Internet.
The "Friends of the Observatory" was established to enhance communication with the public and promote public understanding of weather services. |
| 1997 |
The seismological network was upgraded to a digital network with eight stations. |
| 1998 |
The interactive Information Enquiry System (IES) was introduced for the public. A
Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR) began operational use at the Hong Kong International
Airport, providing up-to-the-minute windshear and turbulence alerts to aircraft.
Range of forecast period for public weather forecast extended to 4 days. |
| 1999 |
The Observatory's new Weather Radar System at Tai Mo Shan was commissioned, providing
high-resolution radar data for effective monitoring of severe weather systems.
A super-computer was acquired for the operation of a high resolution numerical weather
prediction system (Operational Regional Spectral Model) and to enhance the capability of
rainstorm forecasting.
Cold Weather Warning was introduced.
Provision of UV index commenced. |
| 2000 |
A resource centre was established in a commercial building near the
Observatory for easy access by the public to obtain information and publications.
A high performance server cluster was delivered to enhance the capability in meteorological data processing.
Operation of 5-day weather forecast commenced.
Very Hot Weather Warning was introduced. |
| 2001 |
The Observatory's website was enhanced to improve
accessibility for the visually impaired by providing text-based and audio format web
pages. WAP version of the website was also launched for mobile phone users.
A satellite reception system was installed to receive high-resolution cloud pictures from
polar-orbiting satellites.
The first weather buoy in Hong Kong commenced operation.
The last operating signal station at Cheung Chau closed down. It marked the end of an
era of signal dissemination through signal stations. |
| 2002 |
The "World Weather Information Service" web site, which was
developed and hosted by the Observatory under the auspices of the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO), was launched. This was the first international Internet web site of
official weather forecasts for cities around the world.
The Observatory installed the world's first LIght Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) system for use in airport weather alerts
at Chek Lap Kok.
Hong Kong Observatory was awarded an ISO 9001:2000 certificate in recognition of the
quality of its international aviation weather service. The Observatory is one of the first
weather services in the Asia and Pacific region to be awarded an ISO certification. |
| 2003 |
Automatic weather reports were successfully received
for the first time from computers on board commercial aircraft.
The computer system of the Observatory's weather nowcasting system was upgraded. It processed more real time
meteorological data and implemented more sophisticated algorithms, thereby improving the
quality of forecast products.
In response to the IT policy of the Hong Kong Government, Hong Kong Observatory's
website adopted the "Common Look and Feel" design.
The Observatory offered weather information in eXtensible Markup Language.
Range of forecast period for public weather forecast extended to 7 days. |
| 2004 |
The first automatic Upper-air Sounding System in Southeast Asia began operation.
A Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) Website was launched.
Time information of the Observatory's atomic clock was provided to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), contributing to determining the co-ordinated universal time (UTC).
Hong Kong hosted the 13th session of Regional Association II (Asia) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The Observatory became the first weather service in Asia to operationally receive and disseminate automatic weather reports from commercial aircraft.
For the first time, the Observatory provided site-specific weather forecasts and other support services to the Hong Kong Olympic windsurfing team competing in the Olympic Games. |
| 2005 |
The Observatory set up a lightning location network in cooperation with the Guangdong Meteorological Bureau and the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau, and launched the lightning location information service.
The Observatory announced its assessment of rainfall projection in Hong Kong in the next 100 years.
The Observatory represented the World Meteorological Organization to take part in the establishment of a tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean and to help with recovery of Pakistan after a disastrous earthquake.
The world's first LIDAR Windshear Alerting System developed by the Observatory for providing windshear warning service began operation at the Hong Kong International Airport.
The two websites on worldwide official weather forecasts and warnings viz. World Weather Information Service (WWIS) and the Severe Weather Information Centre (SWIC), developed and operated by the Hong Kong Observatory on behalf of the World Meteorological Organization of the United Nations, started formal operation.
The Observatory commenced reception of satellite images from geostationary meteorological satellites in Fengyun-2 series of China and Japan's "Multi-functional Transport Satellite-1R (MTSAT-1R)". |
| 2006 |
The Observatory launched the Ultraviolet (UV) Index forecast service to facilitate the public to consider appropriate protective measures against UV.
The Observatory installed a second LIght Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) system at the Hong Kong International Airport to enhance the windshear alerting service.
In May 2006, the Hong Kong Observatory took part in a Pacific-wide tsunami exercise organised by the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System, the first of its kind since the System was established more than 40 years ago.
In June 2006, two sets of real-time Heat Stress Measurement System, developed by the Hong Kong Observatory for the 2008 Olympic Equestrian Events, were installed at the Hong Kong Sports Institute at Shatin and Beas River Riding School at Sheung Shui respectively.
On 26 December 2006, a severe earthquake occurred over the Luzon Strait and generated a small tsunami. The Hong Kong Observatory issued a Tsunami Information Bulletin for the first time in history.
The World Weather Information Service and Severe Weather Information Centre websites operated by HKO on behalf of the World Meteorological Organization adopted the worldweather.wmo.int and severe.worldweather.wmo.int domain names which signified their international status of these websites.
In late 2006, a suite of global-regional spectral models was successfully implemented in the Hong Kong Observatory for climate prediction studies.
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