Macao can expect to see a rise in temperature and the frequency of extreme weather events such as super typhoons and severe rainstorms, according to Leong Weng Kun, the head of the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (also known by its Portuguese initials SMG).
During this morning’s TDM radio program Macau Forum, Leong said that the city’s temperature had been climbing.
“We can see that the meteorological records in Macao have been continuously broken in recent years,” the SMG head said, making reference to a World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) report on climate published in March that concluded 2023 was the hottest year on record globally.
The chief of the SMG’s Meteorological Division, Chang Sau Wa, who was also part of the program, added that multiple meteorological records had been broken during the first half of this year alone.
[See more: Storm warning signals are being issued with greater frequency in Macao]
For example, the temperature in March broke the highest temperature record for that month. Likewise, April witnessed records being broken with respect to the average monthly temperature, as well as the average maximum and minimum monthly temperatures. June, on the other hand, saw the highest average relative humidity on record.
Regarding the typhoon season, Leong said that the period normally lasts until October. However, he pointed out that there has been a higher number of super typhoons as a result of the increase in sea surface temperature from the warmer atmosphere in recent years.
Macao has been hit with sweltering weather over the last several weeks, with the SMG’s yellow hot weather alert currently still active. The bureau expects the mercury to remain 33 degrees or higher in the coming days.
In the rest of the country, the recent effects of climate change have been particularly pronounced in areas along the Yangtze River, which have been hit by severe flooding, while other regions have faced intense drought.
