Hong Kong, China:
Hong Kong last month recorded the warmest April since meteorological records began in 1884, according to the city's weather observatory.
Last month's average temperature of 26.4 degrees Celsius in Hong Kong made it “the warmest April” since records began 140 years ago, the observatory said on Wednesday.
“Summer has not yet arrived, but April was already record warm,” the observatory announced on social media.
The subtropical Chinese city has experienced extreme heat in recent years, with dozens of high temperature records, including daily and monthly maximums, set annually since 2019, observatory data show.
On April 27, Hong Kong also set daily temperature records for April, including the highest daily average of 28.8 and the highest daily low of 27.7.
In contrast, the average daily temperature in April between 1991 and 2020 was between 21.1 and 25.6.
This year's record warm April came after an 'exceptionally warm' winter from December to February, and a 'much warmer than normal' March, with the observatory expecting 'above normal' temperatures throughout 2024.
Hong Kong's labor department on Wednesday updated its three-tier warning system for workplace heat stress, linking it to the observatory's hot weather warnings and doubling the minimum duration of a heat advisory from 30 minutes to an hour.
The system prescribes rest periods or suspension of work depending on temperature levels and the type of work.
Hong Kong has not included heatstroke as a work-related injury in its laws, despite reports of people dying from the disease while working in the sweltering summer heat.
Last year, the labor department's heat stress alert system was rolled out. Critics said it set too high a threshold for issuing warnings and that employers who failed to comply could not be held legally liable.
Scientists worldwide warn that extreme heat will become more frequent and intense due to human-induced climate change.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Our staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)