Signal No. 1 Standby



Signal No. 1 Standby (Traditional Chinese: 一號戒備信號), colloquially as Signal No. 1 (Traditional Chinese: 一號風球), is a tropical cyclone warning signal issued by National Meteorology Bureau of the Imaginary Lands of Nicholas (NMBILN). It is the lowest stage of all tropical cyclone warning signals, the next higher one is Signal No. 3 Strong Winds. In most cases, this is the first tropical cyclone warning signal issued when a tropical cyclone poses a threat to a particular location.

As the tropical cyclone warning signal is adapted from Hong Kong Observatory's system, the meaning of Signal No. 1 is similar to that of Hong Kong's.

When the light system was still in place, Signal No. 1 was indicated by a series of flashing lights at the top of the lighthouse in a harbour. The sequence of the lights are "White", "White", "White".

Meaning
The official definition of Signal No. 1 Standby is "A tropical cyclone is centred within a 800 km (500 mi) radius from a particular location, and may affect the location. There may be strong wind gusts (over 41 km/h), especially on higher grounds and offshore areas. There are strong winds in the vicinity's waters."

A common misconception of the public is that when a tropical cyclone enters the 800 km radius, Signal No. 1 is automatically issued. Actually, Signal No. 1 is only issued if and only if the tropical cyclone is in the 800 km, and making a significant progress towards the location, potentially bringing strong winds (over 41 km/h) to the location. In fact, many tropical cyclones that enter this radius pass by "unnoticed" and are not issued any tropical cyclone signals.

A majority of the anemometer stations of the location must reach a sustained wind speed above strong winds (41 km/h) before the tropical cyclone signal to be "upgraded" to the next stage - Signal No. 3 Strong Winds. For example, in Nicholas City, there are 8 anemometer stations. At least 5 must record a sustained wind speed over 41 km/h, or at least the weights (the population proportion of each respective districts of the city) of the stations recording over 41 km/h reach over half of the city's population, for Signal No. 3 Strong Winds to replace Signal No. 1.

Impacts
There are generally minimal impacts caused by this signal, as a tropical cyclone located this far is highly unlikely to bring damaging winds and heavy rainfall. However, residents are urged to take precautions as weather conditions may worsen rapidly.

Extremes

 * Longest Duration: Tropical Storm Freeland, 3 days, 15 hrs, 5 mins (6 July 2012, 02:15 - 9 July 2012, 17:20)
 * Shortest Duration: Super Typhoon Eigen, 6 hours (9 August 2012, 20:30 - 10 August 2012, 02:30)

Precautions
The official document of the kingdom of handling a tropical cyclone, the Cyclone Safety Act (Traditional Chinese: 風暴安全法) does not illustrate any mandatory precaution steps to be taken. However, the NMBILN advises that, when Signal No. 1 is in force, residents should:
 * Keep sewage clear to ensure a smooth flow for runoff and any precipitation
 * Keep away from the sea surfaces as there may be violent waves at times due to strong wind gusts.
 * All small boats should be safely anchored in designated typhoon shelters.
 * All employees working outdoors, be ensured to be safe at all times, and have a method of contact with your employer in case of emergency.
 * Trips to anywhere outside the territory, or to the remote parts of the territory, may be delayed.
 * Continue to tune into radio, television, or NMBILN's website for further updates.