Hong Kong records hottest day ever as Typhoon Dolphin fuels heatwave

Hong Kong sweltered under its hottest day on record Sunday, with the mercury hitting 36.9 degrees Celsius (98.4 degrees Fahrenheit). The Hong Kong Observatory confirmed the new high, which surpassed the previous record of 36.6C set on August 22, 2017.

The intense heat is being driven by warm air from Typhoon Dolphin. The storm's approach caused widespread flight cancellations and evacuations along China's eastern coast over the weekend. Dolphin made landfall in China's Zhejiang province on Sunday evening.

While the official temperature at the observatory reached 36.9C, some areas in the densely populated city experienced even higher temperatures. A weather station in Sheung Shui recorded a scorching 39.8C, the highest since automatic weather stations were introduced in the 1980s. The observatory issued a "very hot weather warning," advising residents to stay hydrated and avoid strenuous outdoor activities.

Forecasters predict the "extremely hot weather" will persist until Tuesday, influenced by the typhoon's subsiding air. Scientists increasingly link such extreme heat events to human-driven climate change, which is making them more frequent and intense globally.

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With Tropical Cyclone Dolphin moving towards the vicinity of Zhejiang and moving inland, its outer subsiding air will persistently bring extremely hot weather to the territory today to Tuesday.