Hong Kong braces for another sweltering year, with 5 to 8 typhoons predicted
- Forecaster says typhoon season set to be more active and could start as early as June
- Last year was city’s second-warmest since records began in 1884, with annual mean temperature reaching 24.5 degrees Celsius
Hong Kong should brace for yet another sweltering year with possibly more typhoons than normal, the forecaster has said.
Delivering its annual overview on Thursday, the Hong Kong Observatory also noted 2023 was the city’s second-warmest year since records began in 1884, with the annual mean temperature reaching 24.5 degrees Celsius (76.1 degrees Fahrenheit). The warmest year was 2021.
The city logged 54 “very hot days” last year, when the maximum temperature reached 33 degrees, and another 56 “hot nights” with the minimum temperature reaching 28 degrees. Both almost broke the record for those categories as well.
“Looking ahead, El Nino will continue to weaken, while La Nina may start to develop in the second half of this year,” Observatory director Dr Chan Pak-wai said, referring to climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean that can affect weather worldwide.
Chan said the forecaster expected five to eight typhoons to approach within 500km (311 miles) of the city this year, with the season starting as early as June and ending by October or later.