Between five and eight typhoons are predicted to come within 500 kilometres of the Pearl River Delta in 2024 – “an above-normal level” according to one leading meteorologist.
The director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Dr Chan Pak-wai, told the South China Morning Post that global warming was to blame.
“It’s hard for us to forecast the intensity of the typhoons, but due to climate change, we expect a greater number of stronger typhoons,” he said, noting that the typhoon season could start as early as June and last until October or even later.
[See more: Global climate change is behind the rise in severe typhoons]
The region can also expect another sweltering year. Although temperatures in Macao peaked at 27℃ on Sunday, in neighbouring Hong Kong the mercury hit 31.5℃, making it the warmest March day on record in Macao’s neighbouring SAR.
Last year was the warmest year on record globally and Macao’s third warmest.
Macao’s Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau has noted that unseasonable temperatures are a sign of global climate change, and warns they are bound to become more frequent.
