Hong Kong temperature falls to 10C ... but there's good news for Christmas holidays
Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Nanjing and 14 other provincial capitals can expect this winter's chilliest morning on Wednesday, as a new cold front sweeps across the country.
Hong Kong's commuters wrapped up well this morning after a sharp change in the weather saw temperatures overnight fall to around 10 degrees Celsius.
The plummeting mercury, caused by a cold front sweeping across China, arrived late yesterday afternoon, when temperatures quickly fell from around 19C to 13C.
But there's good news for the festive season - the cold snap is not expected to last long.
Hong Kong can expect sunny spells and temperatures of up to 20C on Christmas Day, according to the Observatory's 10-day forecast, with the preceding four days fine and dry with plenty of sunshine.
This morning Guangzhou, Nanjing and 14 other provincial capitals in China shivered as the cold front extended its icy grip on the mainland .
Changsha, in Hunan province, and Nanchang, in Jiangxi province, are expected to see sub-zero temperatures, the National Meteorological Centre said.
Observatory scientific officer Tsoi Tze-shun said Hong Kong's cold snap was expected to continue until next week. Adding to the gloom, a few rain patches are expected on Friday.
The strong monsoon signal remains in force for Hong Kong, with warnings of mean wind speeds exceeding 40km/h, and gusts occasionally reaching gale force.
Beijing on Monday saw winds of up to 88km/h - strong enough to damage trees - and the highest temperature recorded was just 3C. Snow started to fall last week.
The National Meteorological Centre said that over the next couple of days, all regions except the southernmost parts of the country would experience colder weather with strong winds. Snowfall in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau would continue, it said.