Hong Kong’s wave of intense heat set to match record last set in 2016
- Hong Kong heading for nine-day streak of ‘very hot weather’ warnings as heatwave bakes city and prompts jump in calls for help by elderly
Hong Kong is expected to tie a weather record set in 2016 for the most number of consecutive “very hot” days for the month of June, the Observatory has said, as a concern group warns the heatwave is leading to more elderly residents seeking help.
Thursday was the hottest day of the year so far, with the forecaster reporting the temperature hit 34.4 degrees Celsius (93.92 Fahrenheit) at its headquarters in Tsim Sha Tsui. The mercury could rise to 35 degrees or higher in parts of the city on Friday, it said.
A “very hot weather” warning, indicating the temperature has reached 33 degrees or more, has been issued every day since Thursday last week. The city was now in reach of a record last set in 2016, when nine straight days of such warnings were issued in June, according to the forecaster.
The maximum temperature of 34 degrees recorded last Friday also matched the record for the hottest summer solstice in 1980.
“Under the influence of the subtropical ridge, hot weather will continue today and tomorrow in southern China, including Hong Kong, with chances of extremely hot weather with temperatures of 35 degrees or above,” Acting Assistant Director Cheng Yuen-chung said on Thursday.