Hong Kong has issued its first “very hot weather” warning of the year, with the city expected to endure a heatwave until Friday.
Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) released warning at 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, with the mercury expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius.
The warning is activated when the mercury is set to reach or exceed 33 degrees Celsius. At around 1.30pm on Tuesday, Cheung Chau was seeing temperatures of 32.1 degrees Celsius.
The city recorded its hottest day of the year on Monday, with temperatures reaching 32 degrees Celsius.
HKO has alerted the public to the dangers of heat stroke and sunburn.
The heat wave is expected to continue until Friday as an aloft anticyclone brings very hot weather and low pressure to the Guangdong coast, according to HKO.
Maximum temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius are forecast from Tuesday to Friday, while the lowest temperatures will hover between 27 and 29 degrees.
Hong Kong may experience rain this weekend as temperatures drop slightly to 26-30 degrees Celsius.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that the intensity and frequency of heat waves have continued to increase since the 1950s due to human-induced climate change. The release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide – which traps heat in the atmosphere – increases the planet’s surface temperature, with hotter and longer heatwaves that threaten lives.
See also: As extreme heat became the deadliest silent killer among the world’s weather disasters
Hong Kong has already warmed by 1.7 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Revolution, according to research NGO Berkeley Earth. says. Heat and humidity could reach deadly levels for long periods until the end of the century, according to a 2023 STUDYmaking it impossible to stay outside in some parts of the world.
In a statement Tuesday, the Department of Health’s Center for Health Protection reminded members of the public to hydrate regularly and avoid vigorous exercise and prolonged activities such as walking.
He also suggested that outdoor or manual workers should reschedule work to cooler hours as much as possible.
However, as of Tuesday lunchtime, the Labor Department had yet to issue a heat stress warning — a three-level warning system introduced in 2023 to help protect Hong Kong workers from heat stroke.
Traveling abroad during the long weekend
Hongkongers enjoyed a three-day weekend, with Monday marking Buddha’s birthday.
According to the Immigration Department, Hong Kong residents made more than 615,000 outbound trips on Saturday, with more than 557,000 travelers heading north to Shenzhen and other destinations in mainland China.
The figure marks a week-on-week increase of 36.7 percent.
From Friday to Monday, Hong Kong residents made nearly 1.87 million outbound trips – a 30.8 percent increase compared to the same period last week.
