Parts of Hong Kong saw record-breaking heat on Monday, with temperatures at an Observatory station in Sheung Shui nearing 40 Celsius.
“Until 4 p.m., the maximum temperature recorded in Sheung Shui was 38.4 degrees, the highest in September since records at that station began in 2004,” the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) said on Monday.
“An anticyclone aloft will bring mainly fine and very hot weather to southern China in the next few days, but showers and thunderstorms triggered by high temperatures will also affect the region,” it added.
The Very Hot Weather Warning has been in force since 6.45am.
Record rain in August
It follows record-breaking rain in August, with the black rainstorm signal issued three times in four days.
“The Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters registered a record-breaking daily rainfall of 368.9 millimetres on 5 August, the highest daily rainfall in August since records began in 1884,” the weather service said in a press release on Friday.
Flooding, transport disruption and landslide warnings affected the city throughout the month.
The black rainstorm signal – the highest alert, whereby residents are recommended to remain indoors – has been hoisted five times this year. It is the largest number of signals in a year since the system was rolled out in 1992, the HKO said.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that the intensity and frequency of heatwaves have continued to increase since the 1950s due to human-caused climate change. The prevalence of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide – which trap heat in the atmosphere – raises the planet’s surface temperature, with hotter, longer heatwaves putting lives at risk.
See also: How extreme heat became the deadliest silent killer among world weather disasters
Hong Kong has already warmed by 1.7 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Revolution, research NGO Berkeley Earth says. Heat and humidity may reach lethal levels for protracted periods by the end of the century, according to a 2023 study, making it impossible to stay outdoors in some parts of the world.
