A resident drinks water to beat the heat at a beach in Hong Kong on July 12, 2023. (ANDY CHONG  / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Observatory registered its hottest July day on record on Thursday as temperatures in the city rose over 36 degrees Celsius.

The HKO said in an advisory that the temperature at its headquarters in Tsim Sha Tsui reached 36.1 C around noon Thursday due to the outer subsiding air of Severe Typhoon Doksuri.

The HKO had issued the “Very Hot Weather Warning” on Thursday morning and advised members of the public to drink more water and take all necessary protective measures against the heat

“Under the influence of the outer subsiding air of Doksuri, it is extremely hot over southern China. Locally, the temperature at the Observatory rose to 36.1 degrees around noon, the highest so far this year and also the highest temperature on record for July,” the HKO said.

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At 2:10 pm, the mercury rose to 38 C in Yuen Long Park in the New Territories while the temperature in Sheung Shui and Wetland Park reached 37.5 C, 37.4 C in Kau Sai Chau, 37.2 C in Tseung Kwan O, and 36.6 C in Happy Valley.

The HKO issued the “Very Hot Weather Warning” on Thursday morning and advised members of the public to drink more water and take all necessary protective measures against the heat.

It said that the typhoon warning signal No 1 will remain in force this afternoon and tonight, adding that Doksuri’s strong winds will “keep some distance from the Pearl River Estuary”.

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“It is expected that the chance of having strong winds generally over the territory is not high. The chance of issuing higher tropical cyclone warning signals is relatively low,” the HKO said.