In the west, everyone knows that summer begins on June 21 and runs through September 22. In Asia, there are no such strict delineations. I enjoy the breezy nature here, where a season begins whenever it happens to arrive. Its grand entrance could be marked by a fierce rain, drop in temperature, dry spell, or sunny day.
In Hong Kong, where the climate is sub tropical, people will tell you that the hot, rainy season begins sometime in May, and tropical cyclones are likely to occur between July and September. The best time to visit Hong Kong is in October or November when the stifling heat and humidity have eased, and days similar to those found during a summer in Seattle arrive. December brings winter with temperatures hovering in the fifties and in March, a thick gray fog descends and can settle in for weeks.
This year, we’ve had a particularly cool winter and spring. February was the coldest in 40 years with temperatures averaging 56 degrees for the month – about 5 degrees below normal. Last year, my daughter began her swim lessons in an outdoor pool the first week in March; this year, cold weather deferred her start until early May. Nevertheless, the last couple of weeks here have been feeling, well, typically May. The rainy season arrived last Saturday, and the skies have been shrouded in rain off and on ever since.
Rain in Hong Kong bears no resemblance to the misty days so familiar to those of us who grew up in Seattle. Anyone who has experienced a tropical rain storm will never forget it. The sky darkens and cloulds open. In less than a minute one finds himself as wet as if he had stepped in the shower. But we adjust. We squeeze in swim lessons during pauses between Thunderstorms, learn to wear rubber-soled shoes, and put away the raincoats, which are good only if one is interested in becoming a portable hot house in Hong Kong’s searing heat and humidity.
Our front window provides a great vantage point for watching thunderstorms come and go, skies brighten and darken, and rains wax and wane. This morning for the first time in six days, the sun is shining. Luckily, I have good training from my life in Seattle. We’ll throw on our bathing suits and run to the pool, happy for this moment before the next rain comes. And it will. Soon.