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For days now, the weather in Hong Kong has been blistering, to the point where we are actually cowering away from the waves of hot air you can feel outside before even exiting a building. If this is what it’s like in May, we dread to think what August 2026 will feel like, but unfortunately it looks like this bout of heat is here to stay for a while longer – at least until the weekend.
According to the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), an anticyclone aloft is what’s bringing extremely hot weather to the region today and tomorrow. The temperatures today, May 28, will remain very hot at a maximum of 34 degrees Celsius while Friday is likely to be extremely hot, with the mercury reaching 36 to 37 degrees Celsius in the New Territories.
The first Very Hot Weather Warning of 2026 was issued on Tuesday, May 26, and has been in force every day since. The HKO recorded the highest temperature so far this year yesterday on Wednesday, with TVB news reporting that it even reached 40 degrees Celsius out in Sheung Shui.
With the city not cooling down for a couple more days, the Department of Health has been urging citizens to take precautions against heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke by staying hydrated; minimising heat absorption by wearing light-coloured, loose clothing; avoiding strenuous exercise and outdoor activities; and also keeping skin protected with broad-spectrum sunscreen.
Looking ahead to the weekend, a trough of low pressure approaching the coast of southern China will bring showers and squally thunderstorms later on Friday through till Saturday. The high temperature weather should thankfully be somewhat alleviated from Saturday onwards, with sporadic showers carrying over into Sunday. A broad trough of low pressure is then forecast to bring unsettled weather over the region from early to mid-week, so we can expect next week to be fairly rainy as well.
For now though, try to stay indoors with cool drinks, and keep an eye on the weather at the HKO website.
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