Snakes in the wild might still be in their winter sleep, but Hong Kong and the mainland were busy yesterday preparing to welcome the arrival of early spring and the Year of the Snake amid chilly but humid weather.
The changing weather has not dampened the festival spirit in Hong Kong's streets, judging from the number of people doing their last-minute shopping. Under the influence of a cold front, the temperature in the city is expected to drop today and remain cool tomorrow, the first day of the Lunar New Year.
The Observatory issued the cold-weather warning yesterday, predicting the mercury will fall today to around 12 degrees Celsius, and several degrees lower in the New Territories.
Warmer weather is expected to return early next week.
An Observatory spokesman noted that cool weather was not uncommon on New Year's day.
"February is still winter, and we occasionally have some cold days during this period," he said.