Winds are still increasing. The satellite dish on my roof blew over. (It was non-functional, just left behind by the previous tenants.)

The No. 8 Southeast Gale or Storm Signal is in force.

This means that winds with mean speeds of 63 kilometres per
hour or more are expected from the southeast quarter.

At 10 a.m., Severe Tropical Storm Kammuri was centred about
140 kilometres south-southwest of Hong Kong (near 21.1
degrees north 113.8 degrees east) and is forecast to move
west-northwest at about 14 kilometres per hour, edging
closer to Hong Kong.

Gale force winds are affecting the territory with storm
force winds over offshore waters and high grounds. Local
wind is changing from northeast to southeast. Areas
previously sheltered from the winds will become exposed.
Members of the public should beware of the change in wind
direction and take precautions as soon as possible.

According to the present track, the Gale or Storm Signal
No.8 is expected to remain in force during most part of the
day today.

In the past hour, the maximum sustained winds recorded at
Waglan Island, Sai Kung and Cheung Chau were 83, 66 and 87
kilometres per hour respectively.

Speaking of disasters in the making, last night I was driving to pick up my gf and the car started vibrating noticeably. I switched off the air con and that improved things slightly but not 100%. It occurred to me that if the car broke down on the road at night, I wouldn’t have the vaguest idea of whom to call. I don’t have the number of any tow truck drivers and the repair shop I use closes around 7 PM.

Anyway, picked her up, we had dinner, headed home, and the engine started knocking any time I accelerated and just hoped the car would make it all the way. When we hit the roundabout by Clearwater Bay, there was a car stranded off to the side, a female driver standing alongside the car, a look of frustration on her face. A police van had stopped and now they were driving off. Had they given her a number to call for road service? Or just said sorry, not our job?

Tomorrow I’ll have to ask my mechanic what to do. Perhaps I need to join the HKAA, which does offer a 24 hour roadside assistance hotline number.

From the iTunes store, for real.

“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows,” and I didn’t need the Weather Underground site to tell me that we’re at Signal 8, though it’s certainly nice to have the full details.

(By the way, as a child of the American 60s, I always thought this was a strange name for a weather site – makes me think of the Weathermen, the 60s radicals slyly alluded to in the Dylan song quoted above.)

The winds (outside, not, um, internal) had me up since about 4 AM, and we went to Signal 8 shortly before 6 AM. The storm is still getting closer to HK, forecast to be closest around noon. That likely means an entire day off from work – though it also means I need to reschedule this morning’s appointment to bring my slowly dying car to the mechanic and this afternoon’s dentist appointment as well.

And since we went through most of the leftovers in the fridge last night for dinner, I’m already wondering what’s for lunch ….