Hong Kong Observatory and SCHSA remind public on precautions against cold weather (with photos)
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     The Hong Kong Observatory and the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association (SCHSA) held a joint press conference today (December 15) and urged the public to take precautions against the colder weather in Hong Kong over the next few days.
 
     Speaking at the press conference, the Assistant Director of the Observatory, Dr Cheng Cho-ming, said a cold front will reach the southern China coastal region tonight. Under the influence of the ensuing cold air, temperatures in Hong Kong will drop significantly tomorrow. The minimum temperature will drop to 12 degrees or below in the next few days. With the cold weather expecting to persist, members of the public, particularly senior citizens and persons with chronic medical conditions should take note of the temperature change and protect themselves against the potential health impact caused by low temperatures.
 
     Dr Cheng noted that the Observatory's online information service has been popular among the public for the provision of timely weather information. The total number of page views this year has reached 150 billion, an increase of around 50 per cent from last year. The Observatory will continue to enhance its online services.
 
     The Chief Executive Officer of the SCHSA, Ms Irene Leung, said, "Changes in weather can affect the health of the elderly. It is more likely for seniors to suffer from tracheal problems or other illnesses when the weather is cold with relatively low humidity. As the weather in Hong Kong is getting colder, the SCHSA calls on the public to show more care and provide timely assistance to the elderly, in particular singleton and doubleton elders, and those who are living in remote villages."
 
     The Observatory has been collaborating with the SCHSA over the years to enhance elderly care services through the utilisation of weather information, including joint studies on the health impact of weather on senior citizens, development of a new version of the Observatory's Weather Information for Senior Citizen web page, enhancement of the SCHSA's e-See Find Service application to provide users with real-time weather information, organisation of weather photo competitions and cloud appreciation workshops. Moreover, the Observatory also provides regular weather information to the SCHSA for its timely planning on manpower and resources in response to the changing weather for delivering support services to the elderly in need. The partnership between the Observatory and the SCHSA is showcased in the "Climate Services for Health - Case Studies", recently published by the World Meteorological Organization and the World Health Organization. (Link of the publication: public.wmo.int/en/resources/library/climate-services-health-case-studies).
 
     In view of the overwhelming number of responses to the "Sky of Silver Age" Weather Photo Competition, which was launched in 2016, the Observatory and the SCHSA will jointly organise the "Sky of Silver Age II" Weather Photo Competition in early 2018, and a new category of time lapse video will be introduced in the competition. Details of the competition will be announced later in the SCHSA's website: www.schsa.org.hk/en/home/index.html.
 
     The public can obtain also the latest weather forecast and the 9-day weather forecast by using the Observatory's Dial-a-Weather service at 1878 200, or the Observatory's mobile app "MyObservatory", or visiting the Observatory's website at the following links:
 
Weather forecast: www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/flw.htm
 
9-day weather forecast: www.hko.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/fnd.htm

Ends/Friday, December 15, 2017
Issued at HKT 18:05

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