Up to seven typhoons are expected to hit Hong Kong this year as the Observatory predicts that Hong Kong has a 50/50 chance of transitioning into the La Nina phenomenon in the later half of 2016.
The La Nina is responsible for cooler autumns and winters, as well as an increase of tropical cyclones from August to October. The Observatory predicted on Tuesday that four to seven typhoons will sweep into the city from June. However, the number of cyclones is “near normal”, it said
Extreme weather due to climate change
“The trend of more extreme weather under the influence of climate change is obvious,” the Observatory added. Global average temperature records for January and February of this year were “the hottest since records began in 1880”.
It said that it will upgrade its weather monitoring and forecasting capabilities in the likelihood of more extreme weather events.
Hong Kong was hit by a cold wave last week, when temperatures dropped to the single digits. The Observatory said at the time that such weather patterns were normal for March. However, local hospitals exceeded capacity as they saw an increase of patients during the cold surge.
Wet week ahead
Temperatures around the region are predicted to rise over the coming days and the weather will become humid and foggy.
Under the influence of the northeast monsoon, the weather will be cloudy, rainy and cooler over southern China next week, the Observatory says.
