Hong Kong is in for another year of hot weather, says the Observatory

Published: 
Listen to this article

As the warm weather returns this week after a mild winter, experts predict that Hong Kong will have fewer “cold days” in the future

Joanne Ma |
Published: 
Comment

Latest Articles

Improving concentration and relaxation is a walk in the park – with a dog

Climate change, urbanisation lead to early flowering of cherry blossom trees

Tatler to give fans 50% ticket refund for Messi’s Hong Kong no-show by May

An intense smell from a rare corpse flower attracts visitors in San Francisco

Hong Kong grocery chain DCH goes out of business after 39 years

Hong Kong logs coldest start to March since 2016

“Cold days” may become a rarity in Hong Kong, as the Observatory predicts this year could be one of the hottest on record.

Warm, sunny weather is on the way next week, according to Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), which also predicts that this year may be one of the hottest on record in Hong Kong.

Although the north-east monsoon brought slightly cooler weather to the south of the mainland at the weekend, it will be replaced by a humid maritime airstream, HKO said. The temperature is predicted to rise throughout the week and reach high of 26 degrees Celsius on Thursday and Friday.

Hongkongers worry about climate change’s effects on future generations more than on themselves

In a press conference on Thursday, HKO also revealed that last winter there were only three days when temperatures dropped to 12 degrees Celsius or under – a record low.

In addition, 11 high-temperature records were broken last year, including the highest average mark for the month of May at 28.3 degrees. That same month, the earliest ever hot weather warning in a year was issued. Shun Chi-ming, director of the Observatory, said it was possible that Hong Kong would soon experience winters with no “cold days” – defined as 12 degrees or lower.

7 ways to cool off and beat the heat in the crazy hot weather of Hong Kong

“As [global] warming persists and urbanisation continues, this will be around the corner,” he said, adding it was hard to say when this would happen, but that it could be by the end of this century.

Shun said there was a 90 per cent chance that the average temperature this year would be among the top 10 highest in Hong Kong’s history, with an 80 per cent probability that it would enter the top five. The Observatory also said it expected four to seven typhoons to come within 500 kilometres of the city this year, which is considered normal. Under the effects of El Niño, the storms could arrive in or after June.

El Niño is a climate pattern during which the surface temperatures of the tropical Pacific Ocean increase. This affects how the air in our atmosphere moves and, in turn, affects regional climates worldwide.

Edted by Charlotte Ames-Ettridge

Sign up for the YP Teachers Newsletter
Get updates for teachers sent directly to your inbox
By registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy
Comment