HONG KONG; An intense northeast monsoon brought cool and windy weather to Hong Kong on Tuesday, with the city recording a minimum temperature of 17.5 degrees Celsius, according to the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO).
The mercury dropped to as low as 15.1 C in Tai Lung in the New Territories, 15.9 C in Kowloon City, 15.9 C in Tseung Kwan O and 16.4 C in Shau Kei Wan, the observatory said on Tuesday morning.
"Locally, as of 8.30 am, the minimum temperature recorded at the observatory was 17.5 degrees, the lowest so far this autumn, and generally a couple of degrees lower in the New Territories," the HKO said.
Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong's highest peak, recorded a low of 6.9 C at 5.50 am, HKO data showed.
During the day, the maximum temperature in the city could reach 23 C, the observatory said, reminding the public that the strong monsoon signal was in force, with strong northerly winds expected to reach mean speeds exceeding 40 kilometres per hour.
The red fire danger warning also remained in force, indicating an extreme fire risk as Hong Kong was expected to experience fine and dry weather over the next few days.
Temperature differences between day and night will be rather large on Wednesday, and it will remain cool in the morning in the New Territories, the forecaster said.
It also forecast that temperatures would rise in the latter part of the week, with cloudier weather and a few showers expected over the weekend. - China Daily/ANN
