Hong Kong’s hot nights and even hotter days bring higher risk of mortality for women and the elderly, new study finds
- The findings come just weeks after the Observatory announced July was the city’s hottest month on record
- Researchers attribute the increasing number of hot nights and very hot days to climate change, saying the numbers could rise even more by mid-century
Consecutive hot nights pose a higher risk to public health than hot days, and bring a 6 per cent higher risk of death for women and the elderly, a study by a Hong Kong university has found.
The findings came after the Observatory said earlier this month that July was the hottest month the city has experienced since record-keeping began in 1884.
Last month also saw a record 20 “very hot days” and 21 “hot nights”. Very hot days are defined by a maximum daily temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius or more, while hot nights are defined as having a temperature that does not drop below 28 degrees.
“Our study found hot nights increased the risk of death by about 2 to 3 per cent, while a prolonged period of five or more hot nights raised the risk to 6.66 per cent,” said Dr Kevin Lau Ka-lun, a research assistant professor at Chinese University’s Institute of Future Cities.
A continuous period of five or more very hot days raised the risk of death to about 4 per cent, Lau’s study found.