Heavier rain, thunderstorm forecast, but no Dolphin in sight

 

Satellite image of Super Typhoon Dolphin taken Wednesday in the West Pacific

The intermittent downpour over the last few days will intensify from Friday until Monday next week, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. Heavier rain with frequent thunderstorms are expected.

However, Super Typhoon Dolphin which is being called “the most powerful storm on the planet at the moment” remains in the open Pacific Ocean, and is forecast to weaken considerably as it moves towards Japan, then Taiwan and China, more than a week from now.

Dolphin, which was named by Hong Kong in reference to China’s white dolphins, rapidly intensified to a Category 5 Hurricane in just 36 hours, packing winds of up to 268 km per hour. It was last reported traveling west-northwest at 15kph near the Marshall Islands.

Meantime, a broad trough of low pressure is forecast to hang over the South China coast in the next couple of days, bringing heavier rain and squally thunderstorm.

On Friday, July 31 and Saturday, Aug 1, there will be cloudy skies with occasional showers and thunderstorms, which could be intense at times.

The days will be cooler, with temperatures in the range of 25°C to 29°C, with moderate east to southeasterly winds. Squally downpours are likely.

The storm-like conditions will persist on Sunday and Monday, when more heavy rain and frequent thunderstorms are forecast.

The conditions should start to stabilize on Tuesday, when the trough weakens slightly. The day will have brighter periods, with only a few lingering showers.

The weather will continue to improve on Wednesday and Thursday, when there will be more sunny intervals and less frequent showers. Temperatures will range between 26 and 31 degrees.

It will become noticeably warmer by the following weekend, when Autumn begins to descend on the city according to the traditional solar calendar, and temperatures rise to 32 degrees.

Everyone is advised to keep an umbrella handy when going out, and allot more time for travel as the sporadic bursts of heavy rain are expected to occur more frequently.