Hong Kong swelters under record Mid-Autumn Festival heat

HONG KONG: Hong Kong experienced its hottest Mid-Autumn Festival since records began in 1884 with temperatures hitting 35.7 degrees Celsius, the city’s weather service said on Tuesday (Sep 17).
The Hong Kong Observatory said Tuesday was also the hottest day of 2024 and urged the public to take precautions such as drinking more water and avoiding vigorous outdoor activities.
“Until 4pm (8am GMT), the maximum temperature recorded at the Observatory was 35.7 degrees Celsius, the hottest Mid-Autumn Festival ever recorded, also the highest so far this year,” the observatory said.
The festive date – when the moon is said to be at its fullest – is usually celebrated between mid-September and early October by families across China with meals, mooncakes and lanterns.
But Hong Kong’s moon-gazers may be disappointed as cloudy weather with a few showers and isolated thunderstorms was expected later Tuesday, the observatory said.
Following its hottest-ever summer in 2023, Hong Kong this year also logged a “much hotter than usual” summer with a mean temperature of 29.4 degrees Celsius, the observatory said earlier.
The top three warmest years in Hong Kong’s history were all recorded after 2018.
Last month, China logged its hottest August in more than six decades, according to its national weather service, after the country endured a summer of extreme weather and heatwaves across much of its north and west.
Globally, scientists warn extreme heat will become more frequent and intense because of human-induced climate change.