The Macau Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) reminded residents yesterday to beware of heat stroke in hot weather for the coming few days, while a tropical cyclone is brewing in the Philippines over the weekend, according to a statement by observatory.
According to the statement, the yellow hot weather alert has been issued for a week and Macau has been experiencing very hot weather in recent days under the influence of subtropical high pressure, and the bureau expects that the weekend will experience even higher temperatures.
According to the latest satellite cloud images, a large area of low-pressure located near the Philippines is developing, the statement said, adding that data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) indicate a 90 percent chance of the low-pressure area forming into a tropical storm over the weekend.
In meteorology, a low-pressure area is an area of lower atmospheric pressure than surrounding locations and is usually associated with severe weather, such as cloudy, windy and possibly rainy or stormy conditions, according to Wikipedia.
The statement said that the low-pressure area will enter the South China Sea, but the subsequent track and intensity development forecasts are still uncertain: a forecast on Monday at 8 a.m. showed the low-pressure area to be moving towards the west coast of Guangdong province, west of Macau, and Hainan island, while the US and Japanese models showed it moving towards the east coast of Guangdong, east of Macau, with more than one potential tropical cyclone forming.
Therefore, the bureau said that from the weekend to next week, Macau’s weather will become very cloudy with showers and thunderstorms, and the winds will gradually strengthen.
The bureau also advised people in Macau to stay indoors and to take precautions in the event of strong winds and downpours.
This handout image provided by the Macau Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) shows the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) data as of 10 a.m. yesterday and 8 a.m. tomorrow. The text says that the probability of a low-pressure area near the Philippines forming into a tropical storm stands at approximately 90 percent.
