Second-hottest day ever for month of May in Hong Kong as mercury hits 38.6 degrees in countryside
Conditions will persist till Friday with relief over the weekend as showers are expected
Hong Kong experienced one of its hottest days ever in May, with bright sunshine and the sweltering heat on Tuesday sending the mercury up to 38.6 degrees Celsius in some parts of the countryside.
The maximum temperature recorded at the Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui reached 35.3 degrees, marking the hottest day this year within the city. Readings at this station are taken as the overall representative temperature for Hong Kong.
It was also the second-hottest day ever in May since city records began 133 years ago. The hottest day ever recorded for the month of May in Hong Kong was on May 31, 1963, with a temperature of 35.5 degrees.
On Tuesday afternoon, Ngong Ping on Lantau Island saw a high of 38.6 degrees, while in Tai Po in the New Territories, the temperature was 38.1 degrees. Pak Tam Chung in Sai Kung registered a high of 37.8 degrees. The readings were new highs since data collection at the stations began in 1996.
In Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island, the mercury reached 37.7 degrees. Other areas with maximum temperatures hitting the 37-degree mark or above included Ta Kwu Ling, Tai Mei Tuk, and Peng Chau.
Tuesday marked the 12th day that the “very hot” weather warning, issued at 6.45am on May 18, had been in place.
