Hong Kong swelters in record March heat after coolest start in eight years

HONG KONG: Hong Kong temperatures climbed to above 31 degrees Celsius this week, a level never recorded for March and just a week after the financial hub logged its coldest start to the month in eight years.

The Hong Kong Observatory said Sunday’s (Mar 24) 31.5 degrees Celsius was the highest temperature ever recorded in March since record-keeping began in 1884. The weather forecaster said on its website that it expected temperatures on Tuesday to hit 31 again.

The record heat comes just a week after the Chinese special administrative region had a colder-than-usual start to the month with temperatures of around 16 degrees Celsius. 

Temperatures are expected to dip slightly on Wednesday to a low of 21 degrees Celsius, the observatory said.