(Reuters) — Hong Kong on Sunday (January 24) recorded the coldest temperature in nearly six decades.
Hundreds of firemen were dispatched to rescue hikers who had hoped to see snow but ended up stranded at the city’s tallest mountain, according to local reports.
“We have recorded 3.1 degrees Celsius (37.6 Fahrenheit) in the afternoon at around 3:30, which is the lowest since the last record in 1957,” said Hong Kong Observatory’s Senior Scientific officer Wong Wai-kin.
An intense cold surge brought temperatures down, and rain in the early morning hours further added to the cold, he added.
But Wong added it is unlikely the city will see snow.
“The temperatures throughout the, over the territory is still above zero degrees Celsius, so the chance for having snow is quite low here,” Wong said.
Temperatures on high ground stayed below freezing point, according a press release from the Hong Kong Observatory.
At Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong’s tallest mountain, frost chasers who braved the cold at early morning hours to experience the cold saw ice not just on plants, but also on their clothes, bags and even hair.
Not all of them coped with the cold, however, and 85 people were injured with most suffering from hypothermia, the Fire Services Department told local media.
It added among the 43 hospitalized, one was in critical condition. Nearly 150 firemen participated in the rescue operation.
“It’s far too cold for me. Hong Kong is supposed to be warm. This is not Hong Kong,” one hiker told Hong Kong’s ATV.
An Ultra-trail competition at the mountain was cancelled because of the cold.
The police eventually closed off roads at Tai Mo Shan and at least one other mountain due to slippery roads.
Temperatures in urban areas are expected to hover around 4 degrees on Monday (January 25), while areas further north may see temperatures close to zero degrees, according to the Observatory.
The government announced that primary schools and kindergartens will be shut on Monday (January 25), while 17 temporary cold shelters are in operation on Sunday (January 24).
The cold weather will continue until Wednesday (January 27), it added.
