What is a "typhoon ball"?

It is reported that on August 23rd, the strongest typhoon "Tian Ge" that landed in China this year hit Hong Kong head-on, and the Observatory successively issued storm signals No.8 and No.9 and hurricane signal 10, which was the worst in five years.

It is reported that when a tropical cyclone may or has affected Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Observatory will issue a tropical cyclone warning signal, which Hong Kong people call "hanging a typhoon". But before 2002, Hong Kong will really "hang" typhoon warning weather! Since 1884, "signal stations" have been set up in front of some government buildings, such as the headquarters of the Hong Kong Observatory and police stations, to provide tropical cyclone warnings to ships in Hong Kong.

It is reported that since 19 17, the Observatory will hang different shapes of black signs at the signal station every time it is windy, commonly known as "typhoon ball". Whenever the wind blows, the staff of the signal station will personally hang the iron typhoon signal weighing 25 kilograms, release the rainstorm news, and finally "remove".

With the development of science and technology, citizens can receive news of typhoons from radio and TV stations. In the 1970s, the Observatory began to close all signal stations one after another, but people still kept the old habit of calling tropical cyclone signals "typhoon balls". According to the current tropical cyclone warning system in Hong Kong, the warning signals of storms are divided into 1, 3, 8, 9 and 10.