The similarity of the typhoon that affected Hong Kong in 1937 to 'Wanda' in 1962 has been referred to in other publications. It may be of interest, however, to compare 'Wanda' with the first recorded typhoon to visit the Colony in July, 1841. Apparently the month of July in 1841 set in with ominous weather, as the following extract from 'The Opium Clippers' by Basil LUBBOCK indicates:
'day after day the thermometer registered 90°F. and above with hardly a breath of wind. Every evening at sunset immense dark masses of wild-looking clouds gathering about the summits of the high hills to the north-east. These had every appearance of being violently agitated by the wind, yet not the slightest air reached the vessels in the harbour anchorages. This warning was further accentuated by the curious behavior of the barometer and by the stifling sultriness of the air. On the 21th July, a light breeze sprang up at 0200 hours and later squalls began to be experienced from north-west by north with heavy rain. The anchorages were crowded with shipping: men-of-war, transports, and store-ships which had assembled for the proposed assault on Amoy. There were a great number of merchant ships-Indiamen and free-traders from London and Liverpool; country craft from Bombay and Calcutta; opium receiving ships and clippers; American free-traders; sandalwood and beche-de-mer [sea cucumber?] brigs and schooners from Fiji, together with several nondescript traders of various nationalities, who had all come freebooting to the new port. At 1000 hours the wind was blowing tremendously from the north-north-east the squalls rapidly increasing in violence; the harbour now began to exhibit all the horrors of shipwreck with planks and spars being blown about like feathers. An hour later the typhoon was raging in all its fury, the wind having now veered to north-east by north, the barometrical pressure at its minimum being 28.50 inches. The roar of the gale was described as appalling and its violence irresistible. The damage caused by this typhoon was accounted at nine vessels totally lost, namely two barques, a ship, a brig, four schooners, and Her Majesty's cutter "Louisa". Four ships were driven ashore but were afterwards refloated; ten were totally dismasted including H.M.S. "Sulphur", H.M.S. "Royalist" and H.M.S. "Young Hebe". Nearly every vessel in the harbour during the typhoon lost one or more boats and in some cases all the boats had disappeared. Great numbers of Chinese cargo-boats, fast-boats and Tanka-boats were sunk or wrecked with great loss of life.'
Source:
HONG KONG ANNUAL DEPARTMENTAL REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR OF MARINE J. P. HEWITT
FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1962 - 63