Archive · 10 Aug 2026
Hong Kong records 39.8°C as Typhoon Dolphin drives extreme heat
Hong Kong got super, super hot on Sunday.
The temperature reached 39.8 degrees Celsius, the hottest it has ever been there.
That is hotter than 103 degrees Fahrenheit.
The old record was 36.6 degrees, set back in 2017.
A big storm called Typhoon Dolphin caused this heat.
The storm stayed far away in eastern China, but it pushed hot, heavy air over Hong Kong.
This made the city feel like a giant oven.
The weather office told people to drink water and stay out of the sun.
Many neighborhoods, like Sheung Shui and Wong Tai Sin, were extremely hot too.
Scientists say warm ocean water is making storms stronger, and the hot weather may last a few more days.
Hong Kong recorded its highest-ever temperature of 39.8°C (103.6°F) on Sunday, August 9.
The reading broke the previous record of 36.6°C set on 22 August 2017 ahead of Typhoon Hato, making it the hottest since records began in 1884.
The extreme heat was caused by the outer subsiding air of Severe Typhoon Dolphin, which compressed warm air over southern China.
Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in Zhejiang province about 1,000 kilometres northeast of Hong Kong and will not reach the city.
The Hong Kong Observatory issued a 'very hot weather warning' and advised people to drink water and avoid outdoor activities, as at least seven districts exceeded 37°C.
- Who
- Hong Kong residents and the Hong Kong Observatory, including senior scientific officer Cheung Ping
- What
- Hong Kong recorded its highest-ever temperature of 39.8°C (103.6°F), breaking a record set in 2017
- When
- Sunday, August 9, with extreme heat continuing on Monday, August 10 and expected for the following two days
- Where
- Hong Kong, while Severe Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in Zhejiang province in eastern China, about 1,000 kilometres away
- Why
- The outer subsiding air of Severe Typhoon Dolphin pushed compressed warm air over southern China, with El Niño conditions adding thermal energy to the Western Pacific
- Record temperature
- 39.8°C (103.6°F), all-time high for Hong Kong
- Previous record
- 36.6°C on 22 August 2017
- Records began
- 1884
- Announcing body
- Hong Kong Observatory
- Weather warning
- Very hot weather warning
- Sheung Shui reading
- 39.3°C
- Wong Tai Sin reading
- 38.0°C
- Typhoon Dolphin landfall
- Zhejiang province, roughly 1,000 km northeast of Hong Kong