HONG KONG, Aug 9 — Hong Kong’s weather observatory posted a record high temperature of 36.9 degrees Celsius today as Typhoon Dolphin swept warm air over the city, the meterological service said.
The approaching storm has already triggered mass flight cancellations and evacuations along China’s east coast ahead of its landfall and fuelled intense heat in the region.
“The maximum temperature recorded at the observatory was 36.9 degrees, the highest ever recorded since 1884,” when records began, the Hong Kong Observatory said in the afternoon.
The previous record was set at 36.6 degrees on August 22, 2017, before Typhoon Hato hit the city.
Figures recorded at the observatory’s headquarters serve as one of the key references for Hong Kong, according to the weather service, although temperatures can vary significantly in the densely built Chinese finance hub.
Temperatures elsewhere in the city topped 39C.
The station in Sheung Shui, in the city’s north, recorded 39.8C, the highest temperature logged in Hong Kong since automatic weather stations were introduced in the 1980s, the Observatory said.
“With Tropical Cyclone Dolphin moving towards the vicinity of Zhejiang and moving inland, its outer subsiding air will persistently bring extremely hot weather to the territory today to Tuesday,” the forecaster said.
The Observatory issued a “Very Hot Weather Warning” on Sunday, advising citizens to drink water and avoid vigorous outdoor physical activities.
Typhoon Dolphin is approaching the Chinese mainland about 1,000 km (620 miles) northeast of Hong Kong.
It has triggered more than 1,000 flight cancellations, evacuations and a top-level alert from authorities as it approaches China’s densely populated east coast.
It is expected to make landfall late today or early tomorrow in Zhejiang or its neighbouring province of Fujian.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is making extreme heat events more frequent and more intense worldwide. — AFP
