Macao has experienced its hottest Mid-Autumn Festival since records began in 1952. According to the Metrological and Geophysical Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials SMG), the Taipa Grande Observatory registered a sweltering temperature of 34.6°C on 17 September.
The figure shatters the record of 33.7°C that was previously set on 14 September 2008. Just last year, Macao experienced its third hottest Mid-Autumn Festival, with the mercury hitting 33.4°C on 29 September 2023.
The SMG has frequently cited climate change and global warming as factors in the surge in the frequency of extreme weather events.
[See more: The SMG says a fresh cyclone is developing in the South China Sea]
According to the bureau, the SAR’s average temperature rose at a rate of 0.10°C every decade between 1952 and 2023. The hottest year so far was 2019, when temperatures averaged 23.6°C. This was followed by 2021, which logged an average of 23.5°C, and 2023, which registered an average temperature of 23.4°C.
In a report published earlier this year, the SMG predicted that by the middle of the century the number of hot days would increase by a factor of two to an average of 77.7 days.
Despite the stifling conditions, visitor arrival numbers remained high throughout the holiday period, with TDM citing Public Security Police Force data that shows a whopping 492,000 visitors entered Macao during the 5 day period from 14 and 18 September.
