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Denise Tsang

Lauren Chan

Hong Kong is already in the grip of a heatwave, but if Friday was particularly sweltering it was because parts of the city experienced the hottest “Great Heat” day in 44 years.
“Great Heat” is a term from the traditional Chinese calendar for the day, usually at the end of July, that marks the hottest time of the year.

The average temperature surged to 32.9 degrees Celsius on Friday, but the mercury in some districts such as Sheung Shui and Tai Po soared above 35 degrees.
Hong Kong Observatory scientific officer Lau Po-wing linked the heatwave to a subtropical ridge bringing fine weather to southern China, with strong sunshine keeping temperatures high.
He forecast the heatwave would continue and the mercury would hover at 33 degrees on Saturday and 34 degrees on Sunday. The New Territories would see hotter conditions.
“The very hot warning is in force and will be effective over the weekend,” Lau said.
The hottest “Great Heat” day was recorded in 1972, at 34.7 degrees. The second hottest was in 1968, at 33.6 degrees.
The earliest available records on “Great Heat” are from 1947.
Friday’s highest average temperature, at 32.9 degrees, meant it was the sixth-hottest “Great Heat” day on record, the Observatory said.



Across the city, Hongkongers were doing what they could to beat the heat.
A 70-year-old hawker selling smartphone cases in Causeway Bay was trying to stay cool by munching on a big juicy chunk of watermelon. “I feel a lot more comfortable now,” he said.
A steady stream of passers-by flocked to an ice cream truck parked outside the Causeway Bay MTR station. “Business is slightly better than usual. I’ve sold around 200 items today,” the ice-cream truck driver said.
Some construction workers in Central did not seem too bothered by the heat.
One of them, in his 20s, said he was not aware that it was a “Great Heat” day. “I’ll just do the usual, drink lots of water and have a wet towel [around my neck],” he said.
Office workers darted between shaded spots or used umbrellas to escape the blazing sun.


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Hong Kong

Health & Environment

Temperature soars above 35 degrees Celsius in some parts of the New Territories and the forecast is for an equally hot weekend
