19th January 2026 – (Hong Kong) A sharp cool-down is on the way, with the Hong Kong Observatory forecasting minimum temperatures of around 11 to 12 degrees in urban districts from midweek as an intense winter monsoon settles over southern China. Winds will pick up on Tuesday, and the mercury will tumble noticeably after sunset, ushering in a cold, mainly cloudy spell from Wednesday to Friday. It will be a couple of degrees lower across the New Territories, with the coldest pockets such as Pak Tam Chung and Ta Kwu Ling expected to dip to about 5 to 6 degrees on Wednesday morning.
The shift arrives swiftly. After a fine and dry Monday afternoon under a strengthening northeast monsoon, temperatures will slide to about 16 degrees on Tuesday night before plunging further, with Thursday again tipped to reach lows near 11 degrees. The Observatory notes an easterly to northeasterly breeze, occasionally fresh offshore, accompanying the change. While the midweek period looks persistently cold and mostly cloudy, there may be brief sunny, dry intervals during the day.
Residents are advised to prepare for the chill, especially when caring for older people and those with chronic health conditions. Looking to the weekend, mornings will remain cool even as daytime temperatures edge up slightly. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Nokaen, positioned well to the east-northeast of Manila at midday, is tracking northeast to east-northeast over waters east of the Philippines and is not expected to alter Hong Kong’s incoming cold surge.