Hong Kong residents enjoy the sunny weather on the promenade in Aberdeen on March 24, 2024. The Hong Kong Observatory said the city saw its hottest March day on record on Sunday as temperatures in the territory rose to over 30 degrees Celsius. (PHILIP TUBEZA / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Observatory registered its hottest March day on record on Sunday as temperatures in the city rose to over 31 degrees Celsius.

The HKO said in an advisory that the temperature at its headquarters in Tsim Sha Tsui reached 31.5 C on Sunday afternoon, the highest for a March day since records began 140 years ago.

Kowloon City registered 31.5 C, Discovery Bay logged 30.3 C, while Tseung Kwan O saw 30.2 C. On Hong Kong Island, the mercury hit 31 C in Happy Valley

“A southerly airstream is affecting the coastal areas of Guangdong. Locally, it was hot,” the HKO said in an advisory. “The maximum temperature recorded at the Observatory was 31.5 degrees, the highest so far for March on record since 1884.”

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Hong Kong is usually cloudy and foggy in March with temperatures ranging from 17 C to 22 C. Temperatures in the city ranged from 25 C to 32 C on Sunday. 

As of 1:50 pm, the HKO said the mercury rose to 32.5 C in Lau Fau Shan in the New Territories while temperatures in Sheung Shui and Wetland Park reached 32.4 C and 32.2 C, respectively, under the hot and sunny weather.

Kowloon City registered 31.5 C, Discovery Bay logged 30.3 C, while Tseung Kwan O saw 30.2 C. On Hong Kong Island, the mercury hit 31 C in Happy Valley.

“A southerly airstream will persist over the coastal areas of Guangdong in the next couple of days. It will be hot during the day and foggy in the morning and at night over the region,” the HKO said.

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With the southerly airstream being replaced by a weak northeast monsoon midweek, temperatures will drop slightly in the city to a range of 21 C to 24 C on Wednesday, the HKO added.