Temperatures in Hong Kong set to plummet to 5 degrees Celsius this weekend, as city braces for winter monsoon

Cold spells and rain patches expected from Tuesday with significant temperature drop forecast for the weekend

Hong Kong has just emerged from its warmest autumn on record this year, with an average temperature of 26.4 degrees

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Residents can expect cooler weather this weekend. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 5:38pm, 12 Dec 2022Updated: 9:46pm, 12 Dec 2022

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Temperatures in parts of Hong Kong are expected to plummet to as low as 5 degrees Celsius (41 Fahrenheit) this weekend, with an intense winter monsoon predicted to cast a chill over the city and bring strong winds from the north.

Residents in most parts of the city should brace for temperatures ranging between 9 and 15 degrees on Saturday and Sunday, but those living in Ta Kwu Ling near the border with mainland China could expect the mercury to fall to as low as 5 degrees on the final day of the weekend, the Hong Kong Observatory on Monday said. In Tai Po, Sheung Shui, Lau Fau Shan and Shek Kong, residents should expect weather as cold as 6 degrees.

The lowest temperature recorded around the same period last year was 9.9 degrees on December 27.

“An intense winter monsoon is expected to reach the coast of southern China during the weekend,” the Observatory said. “Winds will strengthen from the north and it will become cold appreciably over the region.”

A winter monsoon is predicted to push temperatures to as low as 5 degrees. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Scientific officer Jennifer Yip Ling said winds would be strong offshore and on high ground.