This aerial view shows people at the beach at Big Wave Bay in Hong Kong on May 23, 2021. (PETER PARKS / AFP)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong saw its hottest day in May on Sunday after temperatures in the city hit more than 36 degrees Celsius, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.

The Observatory said temperatures reached 36.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday afternoon, which is higher than the previous record of 35.5 degrees in 1963.

The Observatory said temperatures reached 36.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday afternoon, which was higher than the previous record of 35.5 degrees in 1963

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A 61-year-old man with chronic health problems died after he collapsed while hiking from Tai Po to Fan Ling. The authorities were also searching for a 33-year-old man who went hiking at Pat Sin Leng and went missing. 

“Under the influence of an anticyclone aloft, very hot weather will persist over the coastal areas in the next few days,” the Observatory said Monday.

It added that a trough of low pressure will bring showers to Guangdong on Monday and Tuesday while an active southwest monsoon is expected to bring showers and thunderstorms to southern China early next week.

Hong Kong recorded its warmest year in 2019 with an annual mean temperature of 24.5 degrees and a record breaking 46 “hot nights”, or those that had a daily minimum temperature of 28 degrees, according to the Observatory.

Last year was the second warmest year since records began in 1884, with an annual mean temperature of 24.4 degrees, the Observatory added.

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