Hongkongers sweated out the hottest day of the year on Friday, with the Observatory (HKO) recording a maximum temperature of 34.6 degrees Celsius at its headquarters.
Mercury approached 37 degrees Celsius in the northern part of the territory.
Meanwhile, the Observatory pointed out 1,263 cases of cloud-to-ground lightning on Friday and 4,859 cases of cloud-to-cloud lightning.
The city will now have nine days of rain, the weather service predicts.
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“A broad trough of low pressure will remain off the coast of southern China into the northern part of the South China Sea over the weekend into next midweek,” the Observatory said.
The Amber Storm Warning was lifted at 10am on Saturday as violent storms moved into the territory, increasing the risk of flooding.
Climate crisis
Friday marked the hottest “Grain in Ear” solar term ever documented. The traditional ninth solar term, known in Chinese as Mangzhong, signifies a period when warped crops such as wheat are ready for harvest.
This week, environmental NGO Friends of the Earth urged the Hong Kong government to prioritize the climate crisis and strengthen its climate adaptation policies, with the city expected to endure an unusually hot summer.
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.
