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32-705: The airfield was destroyed by storm surge from Typhoon Wanda in 1962, and subsequently abandoned. It was demolished in the early 1970s as the RAF consolidated their operations at RAF Shek Kong and later re-developed as part of the New Town project for Shatin . Sha Tin Airfield was located near the Sha Tin station of the Kowloon-Canton Railway British Section , next to the shallow shores of Tide Cove . The runway

64-658: A circulation formed in the interaction between the Mid-Pacific trough and an easterly wave , with energy from a surge in the Easterlies in the Southern Hemisphere. Initially winds were very weak, and it tracked west-northwestward while slowly gaining intensity. The official track from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) indicated the system first developed into a tropical cyclone on August 25, whereas

96-462: A high storm surge , damaged thousands of huts and left 72,000 people homeless. Wanda left a total of 434 deaths, and it is estimated that an identical typhoon striking today would cause HK$ 2.6 billion ($ 335 million USD ) in losses. The precursor disturbance to Typhoon Wanda was first observed on August 23 near Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia . That day,

128-471: A track into Taiwan . On August 28, reconnaissance aircraft reported winds of 75 km/h (45 mph), or tropical storm status; as such, the JTWC named the system Wanda. Throughout the day, Wanda quickly intensified, with the pressure dropping to 992 mbar and the winds reaching 110 km/h (70 mph) by the end of the day. The next day, Wanda attained typhoon status, and on August 30 it traversed

160-632: Is housed within the JMA headquarters in Tokyo for monitoring and tracking seismic events in the vicinity of Japan to collect and process their data, which distributes observed earthquake information on its hypocenter , magnitude , seismic intensity and possibility of tsunami occurrence after quakes quickly to the public through the Earthquake Phenomena Observation System (EPOS). The Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system began to work fully for

192-531: Is now the site of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum , New Town Plaza Phase 3 and Royal Park Hotel , while the base is currently occupied by Sha Tin Park . Before Sha Tin Airfield was built, Belgian pilot Charles van den Born flew his Farman Mk II bi-plane "Wanda" from an airfield in the area in 18 March 1911. In 1997 a 1:1 replica of the plane named Spirit of Shatin ( 沙田精神號 ), was made and displayed at

224-594: Is responsible for collecting and disseminating weather data and forecasts to the public, as well as providing specialized information for aviation and marine sectors . Additionally, the JMA issues warnings for volcanic eruptions and is integral to the nationwide Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system. As one of the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers designated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO),

256-794: The FIR is fixed. Along with this establishment, JMA placed the Air Traffic Mateorology Center (ATMetC) inside the ATMC. The agency forecasts SIGMET for aircraft in flight within the Fukuoka FIR airspace, while VOLMET is broadcast by each Aviation Weather Service Center at the airports of Haneda , Narita , Centrair and Kansai . In the Northwestern Pacific area, the typhoon season ordinarily comes almost from May to November. The JMA forecasts and warns or advises on tropical cyclones to

288-634: The Hong Kong International Airport . In 1949, Sha Tin Airfield was built for use by the Royal Air Force (as RAF Shatin ). The designation as an RAF airfield was brief and was transferred to the British Army 's Army Air Corps (AAC). In the 1950s and 1960, the AAC rotated in various air observation post Flight units from United Kingdom to Hong Kong : The air observation post were under

320-585: The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) initiated advisories two days later, after it was observed by the Hurricane Hunters . It was designated Tropical Depression 59 while located about 1120 km (700 mi) northeast of the Philippines. Throughout most of its duration, the cyclone maintained a general west-northwest track, although initial forecasts had a northward bias that anticipated

352-574: The LMOs . These are also used to gather data, supplemented by weather satellites such as Himawari , and other research institutes. In 1968, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) designated the JMA as a Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) for Asia. In June 1988, the WMO also assigned the JMA as a RSMC for the Northwestern Pacific under its Tropical Cyclone programme. In July 1989,

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384-680: The Luzon Strait between the Philippines and Taiwan. By that time, the typhoon was about 1600 km (1000 mi) wide, and the next day rainbands began affecting southeastern China and Hong Kong. While approaching southeastern China, Wanda reached its peak strength of 175 km/h (110 mph) in 1-minute winds, with the JTWC estimating a minimum pressure of 949 mbar. The typhoon weakened slightly before making landfall on Hong Kong at 0000  UTC on September 1, with winds of 150 km/h (90 mph). A combination of cold air and land interaction caused Wanda to weaken rapidly, and

416-782: The Sea of Japan , the Sea of Okhotsk , and provide marine meteorological forecasts in cooperation with the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department, Japan Coast Guard . In 2005, in accordance with the ICAO 's new CNS/ ATM system, the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism set up the Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) in Fukuoka , where

448-438: The agency collects data on meteorology , hydrology , seismology , and volcanology , and other related fields. Through analysis and interpretation of this information, the JMA provides insights to the public, offering knowledge and forecasts to enhance preparedness and mitigate risks associated with weather patterns , earthquakes , volcanic activities , and other natural occurrences. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)

480-742: The JMA also forecasts , names , and distributes warnings for tropical cyclones in the Northwestern Pacific region. This includes areas such as the Celebes Sea , the Sulu Sea , the South China Sea , the East China Sea , the Yellow Sea , the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk . Meteorological organizations in Japan have their origins in the 1870s, when the first weather stations started being established in

512-510: The JTWC discontinued advisories about 18 hours after Wanda moved ashore. According to the JMA track, the system turned southwest into the Gulf of Tonkin , intensifying slightly before shifting southeastward and dissipating over Hainan on September 4. Typhoon Wanda was fairly well-forecasted, compared to other storms during the year. The average forecast error for 24 hours was about 260 km (160 mi), whereas for 48 hours, it

544-453: The RSMC Tokyo – Typhoon Center was established within the headquarters office, which dealt with the forecasting and dissemination of active tropical cyclones , as well as preparing a summary of each year's cyclone activity. Each DMO and LMO issues weather forecasts and warnings or advisories to the general public live in its own area. Weather data used to these forecasts are acquired from

576-802: The Surface Observation (represented by the AMeDAS ), the Radar Observation , the Observation and the Satellite Observation mainly using the Himawari series of satellites. The Marine Observatories are seated in Hakodate , Maizuru , Kobe , Nagasaki . These stations observe ocean waves , tide levels , sea surface temperatures and ocean currents etc. in the Northwestern Pacific basin, as well as

608-670: The air observation post headquarters building. Typhoon Wanda (1962) Typhoon Wanda was one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record in Hong Kong . It was the 59th disturbance in the record-breaking 1962 Pacific typhoon season , forming in August east of the Philippines. Typhoon Wanda reached peak winds of 175 km/h (110 mph) in the South China Sea, and it made landfall on Hong Kong on September 1, producing gusts of 261 km/h (161 mph) which, in combination with

640-553: The airfield was demolished in the early 1970s to make way for developing the Sha Tin New Town . The airfield consisted of a single 600-metre runway, direction 05/23. Facilities at the airfield consisted of a small control tower, building and hangars made of corrugated steel sections. The mansion of Ho Tung Lau located at the edge of the Tide Cove adjacent to the KCR railway, was used as

672-556: The command of the 40th Infantry Division . The airfield operated the Auster AOP.6 , an aircraft also used by the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force . During the late 1950s a private club used the airfield to fly RC model airplanes. The club remained at the airfield until 1970. In 1962, Typhoon Wanda severely damaged much of the site and moved to Kai Tak airport to relocate with the RAF around 1963. Subsequently,

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704-670: The country. One of these was the Tokyo Meteorological Observatory ( 東京気象台 , Tōkyō Kishō-dai ) , which since 1956 has been known as the Japan Meteorological Agency ( 気象庁 , Kishō-chō ) . It was originally formed within the Survey Division of the Geography Bureau of the Home Ministry ( 内務省地理寮量地課 , Naimu-shō Chiri-ryō Ryōchi-ka ) . However, jurisdiction over the agency has changed several times over

736-455: The flood, many goods from the store were drifting on the street and it was difficult for them to reopen in short term. Japan Meteorological Agency The Japan Meteorological Agency ( 気象庁, Kishō-chō ), a division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism , is dedicated to the scientific observation and research of natural phenomena . Headquartered in Minato, Tokyo

768-700: The general public on October 1, 2007. The agency is one of the representatives of the national Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction . In case of a possibility of tsunami after an earthquake, JMA issues Tsunami Warning or Advisory for each region in Japan with information of estimated tsunami heights and arrival times within 2 to 3 minutes of the quake. The agency four Volcanic Observations and Information Centers within DMOs in Sapporo , Sendai , Tokyo and Fukuoka . These centers monitor volcanic events on 110 active volcanos in Japan. 47 of these volcanos selected by

800-571: The public in Japan and its surrounding countries as the RSMC Tokyo – Typhoon Center. The JMA has 624 observation stations across Japan which are set up at intervals of 20 km approximately in order to measure the seismic intensity of earthquakes precisely. The agency also utilizes about 2,900 seismographs owned by the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) and local governments . A 24-hour office

832-446: The right side of it, so the strong wind blew the wave into Tolo Harbour made the sea level rose, therefore Sha Tin (area near Tolo Harbour) became the hardest hit. Since a large number of people settled in squatter huts on low-lying coastal areas or precarious slopes and fishermen lived in fishing boats, it caused large casualties when the typhoon hit Hong Kong. Some of survivors claim that the huge waves covered up their homes, sweeping

864-509: The squatter huts and the home is dumped in front of them. They had to run to the railway station in a higher sea level, but the flood was also deep in the knees. It is estimated that every 5 squatter huts had 1 was destroyed or damaged by the typhoon in Sha Tin, which is one of the gathering place of squatter huts in Hong Kong at that time, approximately 3,000 squatter huts damaged in total. The road

896-512: The water onto the streets. Storm surge also destroyed Sha Tin Airfield . Maximum sustained winds were 145 km/h (90 mph 10-minute sustained ), while gusts reached 260 km/h (161 mph), stronger than any previous typhoon on record. Additionally, the lowest pressure during its passage was 953.2  mbar , which was the lowest on record at the RHKO . Overall, the typhoon caused 434 deaths and left 72,000 people homeless. There

928-843: The years, and since the Japanese government reformation in 2001, it has been an agency of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism ( 国土交通省 , Kokudo-kōtsū-shō ) . Its headquarters have also changed several times, and as of November 24, 2020, they are now located in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo . The JMA is responsible for observing, gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts , and warning for earthquakes , tsunamis , typhoons and volcanic eruptions .. The agency has six regional administrative offices (including five DMOs and Okinawa Meteorological Observatory ), four Marine Observatories, five auxiliary facilities, four Aviation Weather Service Centers and 47 local offices composed of

960-504: Was 415 km (255 mi); both values were less than the seasonal average. During its passage of Hong Kong, Wanda produced 263 mm (10.4 in) of rainfall. The typhoon moved ashore during the daily high tide, resulting in a storm surge of at least 5 m (17 feet) above normal, especially around Tolo Harbour , which caused widespread flooding and damaged or destroyed thousands of huts and houses in Sha Tin and Tai Po . The strong winds and waves blew fishing vessels from

992-517: Was blocked by a large number of damaged squatter huts and needed the British army to help to rescue the residents and clean up the road. The heavy flooding increased the hardness of the rescue and clean up, there were 869 acres of farm land were flooded with sea water, over 30 percent (277 acres) were in Sha Tin, almost 65 percent (179 acres) of the low lying farm in Sha Tin were still affected two months later. The shops and store were also heavily damaged by

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1024-403: Was never a finalized damage total, although it was estimated in the millions of dollars. Over 2,000 boats in the colony were either wrecked or damaged. As damage was so severe in Hong Kong, there were little reports of impact elsewhere, although the storm did move across portions of southern China. The typhoon Wanda is routed in Hong Kong near Cheung Chau , most parts of Hong Kong was in

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