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A Very Cold New Year's Day

A Very Cold New Year's Day (1 Jan 2005)

Under the influence of an intense winter monsoon, the cold air piled up over southern China advanced southwards and brought very cold conditions to the coastal areas of Guangdong.

The Observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 6.4 degrees this morning (1 January 2005, Saturday), the lowest so far this winter. It is also the lowest temperature recorded on New Year's Day since 1962. Temperatures over the northern part of the New Territories even dropped to around 3 degrees. A map showing the minimum temperatures over various parts of Hong Kong today is given below.

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Minimum Temperature over Hong Kong - 1 January 2005


The Cold Weather Warning is now in force. The public should note the following precautions:
1. 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.
2. Please avoid prolonged exposure to wintry winds.
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.

It will remain cold tomorrow. For the latest weather information and 7-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
7-Day Weather Forecast:
http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/currwx/fnd.htm

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