A series of original customised warning icons mimicking the ones used by the Hong Kong Observatory for weather alerts have gained popularity after being published by local blog Expat Lingo.
The blog is run by Jennifer Brown, an American former-lawyer who currently lives in Hong Kong with her husband and two children. The six original icons include tongue-in-cheek references to aspects of Hong Kong life such as the Hong Kong Sevens (Drunk Seven Fan Warning), crowds of mainland tourists (Golden Week), and clandestine street races (Boy Racers).
Brown told HKFP that the source of inspiration came from the Hong Kong Observatory’s constant thunderstorm warnings, as they led her to repeatedly cancel her hiking plans.
“I decided to use this extra spare time to dream up additional warning icons. The ‘Drunk Seven Fan Warning’ was the first useful icon that occurred to me and the others followed quickly,” she said.
“What next in the series? Perhaps locality-specific warnings. As a Tai Po resident, I can already think of many such as the imminently necessary “old man, bare belly” warning that will be needed as the weather heats up.”
The Observatory recently drew criticism for not issuing the red rainstorm signal on Wednesday despite widespread flooding and chaos.
