Temperature climbs further to 31.5 degrees Celsius as Hong Kong sweats on record hot March day
- Mercury rises above earlier reading of 30.3 degrees Celsius at Observatory in Tsim Sha Tsui, highest figure for the month since records began in 1884
- Hot and foggy conditions expected in coming days, before weather cools slightly on Wednesday ahead of possible showers and thunderstorms at end of week
Hong Kong sweltered on its hottest March day on record as temperatures climbed to 31.5 degrees Celsius (88.7 degrees Fahrenheit) on Sunday afternoon.
The mercury rose above the 30.3 degrees logged at 12.30pm, which had broken the record earlier in the day for the hottest temperature in the month since records began in 1884.
The Observatory reported that the mercury at its Tsim Sha Tsui headquarters hit 31.5 degrees at 3pm.
Many monitoring stations across the city also registered temperatures in excess of 30 degrees.
At about 2pm, the mercury in Yuen Long hit 31.9 degrees, while temperatures reached 31 degrees in Happy Valley and 31.5 degrees in Ta Kwu Ling.
The weather forecaster said conditions would be hot on Monday, as well as foggy in the morning and at night over the next couple of days amid the persistent influence of a southerly airstream.
The maximum temperature would be about 31 degrees in urban areas and a few degrees higher in parts of the New Territories.
Temperatures are expected to drop slightly on Wednesday, with a southerly airstream replaced by a weak northeast monsoon in the middle of the week.
Showers and thunderstorms are predicted to arrive towards the end of the week.
