Hong Kong expected to feel heat over weekend as tropical storm Nesat nears

Hongkongers can expect another scorching hot weekend as a severe tropical storm heads towards southern China.

On Friday, the mercury soared to 34.4 degrees Celsius, the hottest temperature of the year and the second time this week the city has recorded that high, an Observatory spokeswoman said.

“We expect that weather to persist over the weekend,” she said, noting that temperatures could reach up to 34 degrees Celsius on Saturday and Sunday due to warm winds from the north.

The city’s official forecaster issued a “very hot” weather warning on Friday, applicable for readings exceeding 33 degrees Celsius. It expected the warning to stay in place over the weekend and said the risk of heatstroke was high.

The Observatory is warning people to take care to drink water, and avoid extended exposure to the sun and overexertion when engaging in outdoor activities.

Although the weather is expected to be mostly fine over the weekend, the city is likely to experience isolated showers and thunderstorms on Sunday due to two tropical storms in the region, she said.

Currently neither storm is expected to hit Hong Kong.

The two storms were on a collision course with each other, and the weather authority would “closely monitor” any changes, she said.

One of the storms, Nesat, developed into a typhoon, and was moving on Friday from the Philippine Sea towards Taiwan and southeastern China. It was expected to make landfall in southeast China.

The first typhoon of the year, Merbok, brought heavy rain when it hit the city last month, causing flooding and disrupting schools and air traffic.

Last weekend, the Hong Kong Book Fair was temporarily closed and 56 flights were delayed as tropical cyclone Roke battered the city.

In June, temperatures in the city reached at least 33 degrees Celsius on six days. Last year, there were 38 days in which readings exceeded 33 degrees – the highest number of “very hot” days in a year since local records began.