Hong Kong's Hottest March in 140 Years... Abnormal High Temperatures Worldwide

Seoul 23°C, Incheon 21°C, Late Spring Weather in Korea
U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration "Sea Surface Temperatures Set Daily Records"

On the 24th, late spring weather of May suddenly hit the central region. In particular, the highest temperature on Baengnyeongdo Island in Incheon rose to 18.8 degrees Celsius, setting a new record for the highest March temperature. The previous record was 17.5 degrees Celsius on March 31 last year.

A citizen wearing a short-sleeved shirt is waiting for the signal in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Gyeonggi Paju (23.1 degrees), Incheon (21.5 degrees), and Incheon Ganghwa (21.8 degrees) recorded the second highest March temperatures ever on that day. The highest temperature in Seoul was also 23.4 degrees Celsius, ranking fifth among March temperatures. Compared to the average mid-May highest temperature in Seoul of 22.9 degrees, that day was warmer than May.

This abnormal high temperature phenomenon is not limited to Korea. According to the Hong Kong Observatory, the mercury in Hong Kong rose to 31.5 degrees Celsius on the 24th, breaking the highest March temperature record. Since observations began in 1884, it was the hottest March weather in 140 years. The Observatory also forecasted, "Due to warm air currents from the south and strong sunlight, the highest temperatures across Hong Kong on the 25th will be around 31 degrees." Hong Kong experienced its second hottest year on record last year.

Midsummer weather in Hong Kong
[Photo by Hong Kong HKFP website capture]

In Taiwan, most regions exceeded 30 degrees Celsius in daytime high temperatures on the 25th. Especially in the southern Tainan (臺南) Yujing (玉井) area, the thermometer recorded 36.9 degrees Celsius at 1:30 PM local time. The previous day, the southwestern Chiayi (嘉義) county's Dapu area reached 39.1 degrees Celsius.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a report stating that since mid-March last year, the world's oceans have been experiencing unprecedented high temperatures, breaking daily sea temperature records. George C. Johnson, an oceanographer at NOAA, said that the global sea temperature in 2023 rose by 0.25°C compared to the previous year, adding, "It is astonishing because the temperature increase in one year is equivalent to about 20 years' worth of warming."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.