Hong Kong’s weather authority warned Monday that heavy rain and squally thunderstorms are expected to lash the city later this week as a trough of low pressure and upper-air disturbance moves into the region — even as the city sweltered through its hottest day of the year so far.
The Hong Kong Observatory reported that an anticyclone aloft drove sunny and scorching conditions across the territory, with temperatures peaking at 31.6 degrees Celsius by midday — the highest reading recorded in 2026 to date.
The spell of hot, sunny weather is forecast to continue into Wednesday, though residents can expect some light showers to punctuate the otherwise warm conditions.
The situation is set to change sharply by the latter half of the week. A trough of low pressure is forecast to develop over central China before gradually edging southward toward the coast of southern China. Combined with upper-air disturbances, the system is expected to bring heavy showers and squally thunderstorms to coastal areas on Thursday and Friday.
The trough is then forecast to stall over the northern reaches of the South China Sea through the weekend, prolonging unsettled conditions across the region.
Residents are advised to monitor updates from the Observatory as conditions develop.
