Six degrees looms as cold front moves in

The mercury is expected to dip to as low as six degrees Celsius next Wednesday in some districts as a cold front is expected to affect the city over the weekend, the Observatory said.

"A cold front is expected to move across the coast of southern China between Saturday night and Sunday morning. The associated intense winter monsoon will affect the region in the following few days. It will become cold appreciably," it said.

The temperature on Sunday, when the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon will be held, will drop to 15 degrees - 11 degrees lower than the highest temperature a day before that.

Temperatures will further drop to 14 degrees on Monday and 11 degrees on Tuesday.

Next Wednesday will be the coldest, with temperatures in urban areas expected to fall to 10 degrees Celsius.

The regional weather forecast showed Ta Kwu Ling is expected to dip to six degrees that day, while eight degrees is set for Tai Po and Sheung Shui.

With the monsoon moderating in the latter part of this week, temperatures over Guangdong will rise progressively.

The Observatory forecasted sunny intervals over the next few days and that it would be warm during the day in the latter part of this week, with the weather man saying temperatures would range from 19 to 23 degrees tomorrow, and 19 to 24 degrees on Friday.

The weather will be rather warm during the day on Saturday, with the Observatory forecasting temperatures to range from 19 to 26 degrees.

Kenny Jali, a lecturer at Baptist University's school of Chinese medicine advised runners to keep out the cold during the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on Sunday.

Runners should reduce cut down on high-fat and high-oil foods before the race and eat starchy carbohydrates.

"Intake of high-carbohydrate starchy foods like potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, oatmeal, whole wheat bread or pasta can be increased to provide sufficient energy reserves for the competition," Jali said.

Runners should go to sleep at 11 pm before the race and wake up at 5 am, and Jali said massages can help one sleep.

Players should choose quick-drying T-shirts or tights for the innermost layer; light, loose and highly breathable short-sleeved sports shirts and pants for the middle layer; and a thin windbreaker.

"Players can relax through foot baths after the race as it promotes circulation, alleviates leg muscle fatigue, relaxes the mood and enhances sleep quality," Jali said.