City sweats it out on hottest day of the year so far
Temperatures in nine districts top 37 degrees, with heat sparking calls for help from elderly
The city sweltered through its hottest day of the year yesterday as temperatures in nine districts topped 37 degrees Celsius.
Some areas were suffering the heat for the third day in a row, which triggered SOS calls from vulnerable elderly people asking for relief, the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association said.
The Society for Community Organisation (SoCO), which works with people who live in cramped subdivided homes, also appealed to the government to step in and give the most needy residents energy subsidies. SoCO added care teams should also be sent to visit high-risk groups.
The Observatory confirmed the mercury had reached 35.4 degrees in urban areas yesterday and that it was “the highest temperature recorded this year”.
Scientific officer Wong Yat-chun said the soaring temperatures were down to light winds and a weather system over the mainland’s south.
The Observatory said an anticyclone, associated with calm, fine weather, over the area had triggered the heat.
Today is expected to be cloudy with a few showers, but there will be no let-up in the temperatures over the next couple of days. The “very hot weather warning” issued by the Observatory has been in force since 1.20pm on August 1.
Hong Kong’s hottest day of the year came two weeks after the world also notched up a heat record. The hottest day since records began was logged on July 22, when the global surface air temperature reached 17.15 degrees.
Wong warned the public, especially the elderly, to drink more water and protect themselves against heat exposure.
The maximum temperature in nine districts reached at least 37 degrees yesterday, with Sheung Shui topping the list at 38.9 degrees. It was followed by 38.1 degrees in Tai Lung and Yuen Long Park, while Shek Kong recorded 37.7 degrees.
The nine areas most affected were Happy Valley, Sheung Shui, Ta Kwu Ling, Tai Lung, Tai Po, Yuen Long Park, Lau Fau Shan, Shek Kong and Wetland Park.
A Post reporter compared the temperatures in several areas on consecutive days and found Sheung Shui had reached more than 37 degrees every day since Saturday.
Observatory figures showed the number of very hot weather warnings issued each year had increased from 31 in 2014 to 42 in 2023.
Gloria Siu Wai-lin, head of the association’s care-on-call centre, said staff had seen a surge in the number of calls from the elderly over the past few days, which she attributed to the heat.
“If the elderly feel unwell, they may not be able to say they are unwell due to heatstroke,” she said. “Many will report dizziness, discomfort across the body or nausea. We know these symptoms are possibly related to the heat.”
The hotline service has fielded an average of 1,620 calls a day since the start of August, a 4 per cent daily rise compared with July.
Siu said the association would call an ambulance for the most serious cases and refer people with moderate problems to government clinics for advice and help. She warned of a further increase in calls as the elderly often delayed asking for help.
“[The elderly] may not press the button for our services at once when they feel sick,” Siu said.
“For instance, if they feel uncomfortable from the heat today, they may wait for a while more before calling.”
But she urged the elderly to get help as soon as they started to feel ill, rather than suffer in silence until their condition worsened.
Ivan Lin Wai-kiu, a SoCO community organiser, said subdivided home tenants had complained about the heat throughout the summer and that the government should offer energy subsidies to those in need.
He added social security help did not cover air conditioners, which had become a necessity.
Lin said the authorities should send out community care teams to visit high-risk groups during extreme heat. “Some of the subdivided tenants do not have windows in their units or cannot open their windows due to rat infestation,” he said.
Lin said they might refuse to turn on air conditioning to cut expenditure on electricity and spend their days in public places where the temperature was controlled.
“The heat may also affect their mental health as some of them cannot sleep,” he said. “They may have some skin problems, too.”