Are changing winds about to send China’s dreaded smog to Hong Kong?
While Hong Kong has recently enjoyed fresh easterly winds from the sea, the wind direction is expected to change on Sunday, with gusts blowing in from the north and northeast directions, carrying pollutants from the mainland
The dreaded smog that has blanketed widespread regions of China over the past week might reach Hong Kong as early as Sunday with the arrival of monsoon winds from the northeast, weather forecasters say.
With the arrival of the northeast monsoon, it will also become slightly cooler in the following couple of days, with a low of 17 degrees Celsius on Monday, dipping to 14 degrees Celsius next weekend. There will also be a few rain patches by mid-week.
As of 3pm on Saturday, monitoring stations around the city returned air quality figures of between 65 and 149. But a forecast of between 158 and 250 was set for Sunday, with a higher number denoting worse pollution levels. A figure between 151 and 200 is classified as “unhealthy”, and a number between 201 and 300 means the air is “very unhealthy”, with children and people with respiratory diseases advised to avoid all outdoor activities.
Changing wind directions might explain why the air quality was set to deteriorate quickly. While Hong Kong has recently enjoyed fresh easterly winds from the sea, the wind direction would change on Sunday, with gusts blowing in from the north and northeast, carrying pollutants from the mainland.