Lowest Temperature this Winter 10.3 degrees

Lowest temperature this winter 10.3 degrees (20 December 2003)

An intense winter monsoon brought cold weather to Hong Kong today (20 December). Teperatures generally fell to 10 degrees or below over the territory this morning (Figure 1 & Table 1). At the Hong Kong Observatory, the minimum temperature was 10.3 degrees this morning, which is the lowest recorded so far this winter.

The cold weather will continue overnight and tomorrow morning. The minimum temperature tomorrow in the urban areas will be about 12 degrees, and it will be a couple of degrees lower in the New Territories. Temperatures will rise gradually in the following few days. The Cold Weather Warning is in force. The following precautions should be noted:

1. Please avoid prolonged exposure to wintry winds.
2. If you know of elderly or persons with chronic medical conditions staying alone, please call or visit them occasionally to check if they need any assistance.
3. Make sure heaters are safe before use, and place them away from any combustibles.
4. Whatever the temperature, please ensure that there is plenty of fresh air in your room when you are using an old-type gas water heater.

For the latest weather information and 5-day Weather Forecast, please call the Hong Kong Observatory's Dial-a-weather [ Cantonese (187-8200), Putonghua (187-8202) and English (187-8066) ] and the Telephone Information Enquiry System (2926-1133). You are also welcome to visit the following Internet web sites of the Hong Kong Observatory:

Regional Weather http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/current.htm

Local weather forecast http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/flw.htm

5-Day Weather Forecast http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/f5d.htm

 

Members of the public who wish to get more information on the precautionary measures against cold weather can call the Department of Health (DH) Central Health Education Unit Hotline at 2833 0111. Information can also be obtained from DH's health educational homepage at http://www.cheu.gov.hk and click "What's New" to obtain the relevant fact sheet.

20 December 20, 2002 (Saturday)

Fig. 1: Minimum temperature distribution map on 20 December 2003

Table 1: Minimum temperature at local station on 20 December 2003