From sorbet weather to sweater weather: october’s cool snap
By Ella Wong
Summer heat eddied on October 17th; that Friday evening, Hong Kong’s temperature hit a high of 31º celsius and a low of 29º, hot enough for me to fawn over IKEA’s latest seasonal dessert: lemon tea sorbet. (As of writing, available in a cone for 6HKD!) It was so incredible I went back for more the next day.
But from Monday, October 20th onwards, the temperature steadily dropped. By the 22nd, the city was seeing its coolest temperature of the month at 18.4º; a welcome respite from the record-breaking number of Very Hot Days—designated by the HK Observatory (HKO) as any day reaching 33º or above—that have beset Hong Kong this October.
Michelle Peng, a Y10 student, said she “absolutely love[d]” the cooler weather. “I finally get to wear my jackets, hoodies and long sleeves, [...] it’s like the perfect kind of cold.”
Is Autumn finally here? About time: it’s been over a month since the Autumnal Equinox. Alas, perhaps not in terms of the chillier conditions one might associate with the season. The HKO predicts temperatures will climb to a high of 29º and low of 25º by Halloween before descending in earnest.
The cool snap has instead been attributed to the northeast monsoon—which does typically herald Autumn—and Severe Tropical Storm Fengshen.
A monsoon is a seasonal wind pattern caused by differences in air pressure between the land and the sea. The northeast monsoon, also known as the Winter monsoon, impacts Hong Kong in the latter part of the year and blows from its namesake direction.
Why?
Because the materials in land have a lower specific heat capacity compared to water, land heats faster and cools faster than the ocean. In cooler months, this causes an area of colder air and higher air pressure over the landmass of Northern China; whilst near the South China Sea, where Hong Kong is situated, warmth is retained by the waters and air pressure is relatively low.
Compounded with other factors like the Earth’s rotation, the higher-pressure, cooler air generally flows Southward to Hong Kong.
The monsoon winds from the 20th to the 22nd were particularly strong.
Meanwhile, Fengshen brought rain to Guangdong and parts of the South China Sea; prompting a T3 signal from the HKO on the evening of October 20th, that lasted little over 24 hours. Its strong winds and clouds contributed to the fall in Hong Kong’s temperature.
As the storm dissipates and the monsoon wanes, we’ll be briefly welcoming back Summer sorbet weather. Michelle commented it’s “unfortunate the weather decided to rise back up”, a sentiment shared by another Y10 student who said her pet dogs delighted in the cooler temperatures.
Ryan Ng, a Year 13 student, noted that the cold came far later this year. “Last year, I remember already wearing a hoodie during Swim Gala. Swim Gala was a month ago and it’s only just turned hoodie season. I assume this is a product of global warming—we really need to take care of our planet.”
Enjoy the warmth before the monsoon returns replenished, and IKEA’s seasonal special updates—but remember to do your part in ensuring the unusually high temperatures this month don’t become the norm. Let’s reclaim the Autumnal, nostalgic cool of our childhoods.
Find more information on global warming & how to combat it from past truth articles.