The Hong Kong Observatory said the developing El Nino could intensify four to seven tropical cyclones into super typhoons this year. It also forecast temperatures in the city could reach 35 degrees Celsius on Friday.
The Observatory issued the warning on Thursday. It noted that the current El Nino event is expected to last from autumn until early next year at the latest.
Choy Chun-wing, the Observatory’s acting assistant director, said the phenomenon would cause tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific to form further east. This shift raises the chance that the storms become super typhoons before reaching Hong Kong.
The forecaster also reported a temperature of 33.4 degrees Celsius at its Tsim Sha Tsui headquarters on Thursday. It predicted the reading could be broken on Friday with a high of 35 degrees Celsius, and possibly higher if showers arrive late in the day.
Under the combined effects of El Nino and global warming, Hong Kong has a high chance of recording one of its ten warmest years.
