Hong Kong records lowest autumn temperature at 17.5 degrees
The Hong Kong Observatory recorded a low of 17.5 degrees Celsius on 10 November, the lowest since autumn began. A senior scientific officer said the cool spell will be short-lived, with temperatures rising later this week and possible rain at the weekend.
The Hong Kong Observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 17.5 degrees Celsius by 8:30am on 10 November, the lowest reading since the start of autumn, as a strong northeast monsoon brought cool weather to the Guangdong coast. The Observatory said temperatures in the New Territories were generally one to two degrees lower.
Acting Senior Scientific Officer Lam Hok-yin told RTHK’s Millennium programme that although the northeast monsoon was relatively strong, the cooling effect appeared to be short-lived. He forecast that the city would remain cool on the morning of 11 November, with urban temperatures around 18 degrees and the New Territories one to two degrees cooler, under sunny and dry conditions. Daytime temperatures were expected to rise to about 25 degrees.
Temperatures were forecast to increase further later this week, Lam said. He added that upper-air disturbances could bring more cloud and a few showers to southern China over the weekend.
Lam explained that the current cool spell was brief because it was still late autumn, not yet early winter. In meteorological terms, winter begins in December, so the northeast monsoon affecting southern China remained relatively weak, lasting only about two to three days.
Under the influence of climate warming and a strong El Niño, Lam said Hong Kong’s temperatures were expected to be normal to slightly above normal. He noted that day-to-day temperature variations in winter could be large, with occasional cold spells possible. Under El Niño, the winter season typically brings more rainfall, he added.
