Snow in Hong Kong? City facing big chill but internet rumours could be flaky

Get ready for the big chill next week when temperatures will plunge to single digits – but don’t get excited by unofficial weather forecasts predicting snow, the Hong Kong Observatory says.

It was quick to dismiss internet speculation of 1cm of snow this weekend, clarifying instead that a cold surge expected to reach southern China on Thursday would trigger a chilly spell.

Temperatures will drop to about nine degrees Celsius on Sunday and next Monday.

Rumours of snow were sparked by the unofficial Hong Kong Weather Information Centre website, citing a 10-day prediction on weather-forecast.com, which makes automated forecasts based on modelling data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the US-based Global Forecast System.

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It also cited weather maps from Weather Underground, a commercial online service.

News outlets began reporting the news yesterday, prompting further speculation across social media. But the Observatory’s nine-day weather forecast has all but ended any hopes of snow.