The Observatory Organised a Workshop on Forecasting Aviation Hazardous Weather

The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) organised an Online Workshop on Forecasting Aviation Hazardous Weather during 4-6 July 2023. Through experts' sharing and participants' discussions, the Workshop aimed to improve forecasting aviation hazardous weather for both the aerodrome and the flight information region in the Asia and Pacific (APAC) Region.

Experts in aviation meteorology from different States and organisations were invited to present at the Workshop. They were Mr. Peter DUNDA from the International Civil Aviation Organization, Ms. Stéphanie WIGNIOLLE from the World Meteorological Organization, Mr. Tony NGUYEN from the Bureau of Meteorology of Australia, Ms. Xiya LI from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Ms. Paula ACETHORP from the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand, Dr. Monica SHARMA from the India Meteorological Department, Mr. Hyuk Je LEE from the Korea Meteorological Administration, and HKO colleagues, including Mr. Wai-kin WONG, Mr. Ping CHEUNG, Mr. Paul HO, Ms. Christy LEUNG and Dr. Danice NG. They delivered lectures that covered a wide range of topics, such as forecasting techniques for squall lines and gusts, mesoscale convective systems, icing, tropical cyclones, low level wind shear and turbulence, nowcasting using artificial intelligence, as well as forecast verification. The workshop also included a training session on the HKO Regional SIGMET Coordination Platform.

An impressive number of people showed up to the Workshop, with more than 270 participants from 24 States/Administrations in the APAC Region registered. The workshop participants expressed gratitude towards HKO for organising such a valuable workshop, indicating that the knowledge gained at the Workshop could help them further improve the services related to aviation hazardous weather.

Noting the strong demand from the Meteorological Watch Offices in the APAC Region for relevant capacity building activities, HKO would carry on collaborating with regional and global aviation meteorological experts to provide opportunities for our counterparts in the Region on exchange of forecasting experiences, thereby contributing towards enhancing aviation weather services in the APAC Region.

Mr. Sai-tick CHAN (first row, first left), Assistant Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, welcoming workshop participants joining from different parts of the world.