Hongkongers bust out winter wear as temperatures plunge

Hong Kong cracked out its winter best yesterday as a monsoon sent temperatures plunging to almost 14 degrees across the city.

Cool weather was forecast to continue in Hong Kong today before an easterly airstream begins to raise temperatures over the weekend.

A maximum of 24 degrees has been forecast for Sunday, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.

READ MORE: Colder weather on the way: Hong Kong to see temperature dip to 16 degrees

Hongkongers out and about on Thursday said they welcomed the cooler change, as coats and scarves became common sights in throughout the city.

“I like winter,” 26-year-old sales assistant Billy Wu said. “I can wear more clothes and I don’t sweat so much.”

Wu said he thought Hongkongers were fond of winter because it gave them a chance to rug up and show off their winter fashions.

But several locals thought winter had come late to Hong Kong this year after an unusually warm

November. Temperatures for the month were about five degrees above average.

“It’s already winter and it’s still 20 degrees,” fabric merchandiser Jenny Lo said. “So it’s not really very cold.”

Lo said she thought the city’s women would appreciate the cool change. “Winter clothes are more pretty and you can wear more layers in winter, like boots and big coats,” she said.

READ MORE: Summer in November? Hong Kong hits 27.6 degrees for hottest ‘Light Snow’ day in 55 years

“So I think most Hong Kong women like winter, or a change of seasons.”

Still, some locals were glad temperatures weren’t going to drop any lower in the near future.

“I think it’ll get two to three degrees colder at most, but I won’t want it to be that cold,” student Oliver Chen said. “I was in the UK for a while and I really wasn’t liking that cold over there.”