Newsletter Issue 42 (April 2024)

The Weather of March 2024 – A March with record-breaking high temperature

While the weather of Hong Kong was cold in early March 2024, with the northeast monsoon over the south China coast much weaker than normal in the second half of the month, March 2024 was overall much warmer than usual in Hong Kong. The maximum temperature recorded at the Observatory reached a record high of 31.5 degrees on 24 March, easily breaking the previous record for March set way back in 1973.

Director of HKO elected co-Vice-President of WMO Technical Commission

The Director of the Hong Kong Observatory and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Meteorological Society, Dr Chan Pak-wai, was elected with a high vote as a co-Vice-President of the Commission for Observation, Infrastructure and Information Systems (INFCOM) of the World Meteorological Organization at the third session of INFCOM held in Geneva, Switzerland on April 18 (Geneva time). He is the first Asian to take up a leadership position in the INFCOM.

March 2024 – 10th consecutive record warm month globally

March 2024 continues the sequence of climate records toppling for both air temperature and ocean surface temperatures, with the 10th consecutive record-breaking month. The global average temperature is the highest on record, with the past 12 months being 1.58°C above pre-industrial levels. The global oceans have seen 12 consecutive months of record high surface temperatures. Stopping further warming requires rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

WMO State of the Climate in Asia 2023

Asia remained the world’s most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023. Floods and storms caused the highest number of reported casualties and economic losses, whilst the impact of heatwaves became more severe. The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlighted the accelerating rate of key climate change indicators such as surface temperature, glacier retreat and sea level rise, which will have major repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region.

European State of the Climate Report 2023 is published

Last year Europe experienced its joint warmest or second warmest year on record, depending on the dataset, while the average sea surface temperature across Europe was the warmest on record. The European State of the Climate Report 2023, compiled by the Copenicus Climate Change Service and WMO for the first time, paints a sombre picture. Along with record temperatures came drier-than-average surface soil moisture, wildfires, droughts, and flooding.

NOAA confirms 4th global coral bleaching event

The world is currently experiencing a global coral bleaching event, according to NOAA scientists. This is the fourth global event on record and the second in the last 10 years. Bleaching-level heat stress, as remotely monitored and predicted by NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch (CRW), has been — and continues to be — extensive across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean basins. CRW’s heat-stress monitoring is based on sea surface temperature data, spanning 1985 to the present, from a blend of NOAA and partner satellites.

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