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Projections for Extreme Temperatures in Hong Kong in the 21st Century

23 February 2011

In 2007, the Hong Kong Observatory conducted a study to assess the temperature trend for Hong Kong up to the end of the 21st century using the monthly temperature data simulated by a number of global climate models under various greenhouse gas emission scenarios. The study also estimated how frequent extremely hot and cold weather would become.

By 2010, more refined model simulation data, in the form of daily temperature figures, have become available to the Observatory. Based on this, the Observatory undertook a further study to re-compute the extreme temperature projections in Hong Kong in the 21st century using the daily model simulation data and consequently more sophisticated statistical techniques. The study was recently completed and the results published in a scientific journal. The study results suggest that the trends in temperature extremes that have been observed during the 20th century are expected to continue into the 21st century with a significant increase in hot nights and very hot days and a significant decrease in cold days.

A summary of the study is available at
http://www.weather.gov.hk/climate_change/proj_extreme_temp_2011_e.pdf

Key results of the study have also been incorporated in the Observatory's climate change webpage:
http://www.weather.gov.hk/climate_change/proj_hk_temp_e.htm