The Hong Kong Observatory issued the first frost warning of the year on Friday evening, stating that there’s a likelihood of frost being found on high ground or in the northern part of the New Territories on Saturday morning. This comes after the meteorological body raised the first cold weather warning of 2025 at 6am on Friday.
How common is frost in Hong Kong?
Frost occurs when water vapour is deposited on a surface with a temperature of less than 0 degrees Celsius. This usually happens between December and February in Hong Kong, when the weather is the coldest in the territory. The last time the city’s meteorological body issued a frost warning was on January 24, 2024.
Hoar frost — the white ice crystals deposited on the ground or exposed objects such as the rim of leaves, cable masts, and even car windscreens — is most commonly found in Hong Kong. This is the result of radiation cooling, which is when the temperature of a surface falls as it radiates away heat at night.
Hong Kong in the grips of cold weather
The city’s weather forecaster also raised the first cold weather warning of the year early on Friday morning, saying that it will be cold on Saturday and Sunday morning, with large day-night temperature differences. The mercury will fall to 11 degrees in urban parts of the city, which is below the minimum temperature forecast previously issued by the Observatory. It is also expected to be dry over the weekend, with humidity levels predicted to fall as low as 25% on Sunday morning.
However, the weather will get warmer and cloudier early next week, thanks to an easterly airstream. Maximum temperatures will range between 18 degrees and 21 degrees, before cooling down over the weekend once a surge of the northeast monsoon hits the city. Last week, the observatory predicted that the next three months in Hong Kong will be hotter and drier than normal due to climate warming.
For the latest Hong Kong weather updates, visit the Hong Kong Observatory website.
Image credits: Hong Kong Observatory
