Typhoon Milktea? Cyclone Dim-sum? Hongkongers show their love of all things local with name picks for intense storms
- Milktea garners 15,750 votes followed by Tsing-ma, name of suspended bridge connecting Tsing Yi and Ma Wan, and Fo-lung, or fire dragon
- Observatory hails ‘impressive’ response of 20,000 votes in poll for public to pick their favourite names with Hong Kong characteristics
Could Asia handle the wrath of Typhoon Milktea?
The sweet drink found on nearly every street in Hong Kong has stormed to the top of a list of typhoon names chosen by residents for the city’s forecaster to keep in reserve.
The Hong Kong Observatory on Wednesday revealed the top 20 names for typhoons as decided by 20,000 votes that considered a shortlist of 40.
Milktea garnered 15,750 votes, followed by Tsing-ma – the name of the suspended bridge connecting Tsing Yi and Ma Wan, with 15,127 votes. No 3 was Fo-lung, or fire dragon, a nod to the traditional celebration held to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival with 14,810 votes.
Other winning names included Dim-sum, Red-bean and kung fu screen legend Bruce Lee’s Chinese name Siu-long.
The city’s Treefrog and signature white jade orchid tree, known as Bak-lan, also won Hongkongers’ hearts.
Pui Pui, the crocodile who lives in a wetland park, beat Ocean Park pandas An An and Jia Jia to enter the top 20, joined by Hoi-wai, the deceased killer whale in Ocean Park.
The Observatory hailed the poll, held to mark the weather forecaster’s 140th anniversary, for its “impressive” public response since voting opened on December 20.
Winning names will be submitted to a typhoon committee set up by the United Nations’ body, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and the World Meteorological Organization. Committee members are expected to pick 10 out of the 20 presented.
Dim sum or Bruce Lee’s Chinese name? Hongkongers vote for typhoon titles
The list of tropical cyclone names with local characteristics nominated by the committee’s 14 members has been in place since 2000.
The members consist of Cambodia, China, North Korea, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the United States, Hong Kong and Macau special administrative regions.
The 140 names selected by the committee from the member countries and regions are intended to be used in a revolving manner.
But some names are retired upon the request of committee members, especially when typhoons incur massive casualties and economic losses. The member who provides the retired name will then have to propose a replacement for consideration.
For example, the committee chose Yun-yeung to replace Kai-Tak – both names provided by Hong Kong – after the typhoon hit wrecked heavy casualties and economic damage in the Philippines in 2017.
Past names contributed by Hong Kong include Yun-yeung, Shanshan, Man-yi, Lingling, Fung-wong, Dolphin, Choi-wan, Lionrock, Ma-on and Banyan.
