Mercury to rise a bit - but cold weather here to stay

Temperatures will rise slightly today and tomorrow after the observatory recorded 11.4 degrees Celsius at its headquarters yesterday morning - the lowest temperature so far his winter.

But the weather will still remain cold in the morning and at night throughout the week, the weather forecaster said.

"There will be one or two rain patches [this morning] with minimum temperature of about 13 degrees in urban areas," the observatory said. "It will remain cold, and generally a couple of degrees lower in the New Territories, and the weather will be fine and dry."

The mercury in urban areas dropped to around 11 degrees yesterday, while many areas in the New Territories recorded below 10 degrees as southern China faces a winter monsoon.

The temperature dropped even lower near the boundary with Shenzhen - to 8 degrees in Sheung Shui and Ta Kwu Ling, and 3.6 degrees at the peak of Tai Mo Shan.

The observatory issued the first cold weather warning of the season at 6am on Saturday and it was still up at 6pm yesterday.

The Home Affairs Department opened 18 temporary cold shelters on Saturday, and around 180 people took shelter. They will remain open as long as the cold weather warning is in force.

The Hospital Authority said as of 5pm yesterday one man, an 84-year-old, was sent to hospital due to hypothermia. He was listed in serious condition.

The Centre for Health Protection urged the elderly and people with chronic illnesses to adopt appropriate measures during the cold weather period.

"Elderly people have less insulating fat beneath their skin to keep them warm and their body temperature control mechanism may be weaker, and so their body may not be able to appropriately respond to the cold weather," it said.

The cold weather could easily trigger or exacerbate diseases, especially for those who have heart diseases and respiratory illnesses, it warned.

It called on the elderly and those with chronic diseases to pay attention to the weather forecast, wear warm clothes, consume sufficient food, exercise and avoid long-term outdoor exposure.

It says drinking alcohol will only make the body lose heat.

"Parents should ensure that babies are sufficiently warm, but it is also important to keep babies relatively lightly clothed to avoid overheating," it added.

Northern China has been seeing freezing weather and snowfall since December 10. Beijing has been covered by snow and seen blizzards, with temperatures plunging to as low as minus 15.5 degrees, the lowest in about 70 years in the capital.

The big chill was brought on by a cold wave following heavy snowfalls since December 11.

ayra.wang@singtaonewscorp.com