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(meteorobs) RE: Taiwan weather on 11/18/01

RICHARDSEA@aol.com wrote:

"I am looking for data on the cloud cover patterns in Taiwan in hopes of 
viewing the Leonids this november. Does anyone have information to see where 
the clearest skies will be? Anyone else going there or guam?"

    I checked my copies of "Global Distribution of Total Cloud Cover and 
Cloud Type" both for the "Over Land" edition and the "Over Ocean" edition.  
Here is what I was able to find.  Please keep in mind, however, that this 
data was compiled with a rather "broad brush" and does not take into account 
microclimates where the local weather can vary considerably over short 
distances!:

    Over eastern Asia, average total cloud cover in November is lowest over 
central China.  There, cloudiness averages in the 25 to 35% range.  Sites 
nearer to the Pacific Ocean tend to be cloudier.  Japan ranges from about 50% 
in the south (Kyushu) to 66% in the north (Hokkaido).  Korea has an average 
value of 43%.  Taiwan is around 66%.  The Phillipines range anywhere from 63 
to 80%.  Much of Indonesia ranges from 54 to as high as 87% (the clearest 
region appears to be around the Moluccas).

    Western and central Australia have reasonably low cloud values of 23 to 
40%.  The clearest part of Australia in November, appears to be just to the 
southwest of the Great Sandy Desert in locales such as Newman, Dampier and 
Port Holland.  If I had the $$$ to take my entire family of four for Leonid 
viewing, I for one would position myself around this region.

    As for Guam . . . it appear that this tiny island is in a region where 
cloud cover averages 48 to 56%.  

    Interestingly . . . in checking the percent frequency of a COMPLETELY 
CLEAR sky between the hours of 06:00 to 18:00 local time, I found the 
following mean values:

Central China: 25-55%
Japan: 4-15%
Korea: 23%
Taiwan: 4%
Phillipines: 0%
Western and central Australia: 34-52%
Guam:  0% 

Hope this helps!
-- joe rao
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