Hong Kong shivers through coldest start to March since 2016, defying expectations
- Post check finds average maximum temperature for first 14 days of month was 20.6 degrees Celsius, down from 24.4 degrees in 2023 and 25.2 degrees in 2022
- Start to March marks sharp turn from what Observatory described as an ‘exceptionally warm’ winter for city
Hong Kong has logged its coldest start to March since 2016, defying expectations and bucking the trend of higher average temperatures so far this year, according to data compiled by the Post.
Using data from the Hong Kong Observatory, the Post found that the average maximum temperature for the first 14 days of the month was 20.6 degrees Celsius (69 degrees Fahrenheit), down from 24.4 degrees in 2023 and 25.2 degrees in 2022.
It was similarly colder when accounting for daily mean and minimum temperatures.
The last time the mercury was this low in the first half of March was 2016, when the average maximum temperature was 20.1 degrees. In 2015, the average maximum temperature was even lower, at 19.3 degrees.
“In an El Nino year, we expect warmer weather but we don’t see that’s the case, so this is interesting,” said Leung Wing-mo, a former assistant director at the Observatory.
