Macau recorded its hottest year in 2019 since official records began in 1952, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) announced on Sunday.
According to the bureau’s 2019 environmental statistics report, Macau’s annual mean air temperature rose 0.8ºC year-on-year to 23.6ºC last year, “marking the warmest year since records began in 1952.”
The highest temperature of the year was 35.7ºC in July and August, down by 0.1ºC compared to the highest temperature recorded in 2018. Last year’s lowest temperature was recorded at 8.4ºC, up by 3.8ºC.
Total precipitation was 2,248.0mm, an increase of 452.4mm year-on-year.
The report noted that Macau was affected by five tropical cyclones last year, only one of which, Typhoon Wipha, required the hoisting of the No.8 signal.
The number of “poor” air quality days recorded last year rose year-on-year. The roadside monitoring stations in Ka Ho in Coloane and in Taipa recorded the highest number of “poor” air quality days last year, at 41 days, with respective year-on-year increases of 29 days and 12 days.
Total water consumption was 92,815,000 cubic metres last year, up by 2.1 per cent year-on-year.
Macau’s refuse incineration plant burned 550,249 tonnes of municipal solid waste last year, an increase of 5.3 per cent year-on-year. Construction waste dumped on landfills rose 19.1 per cent to 2,394,000 cubic metres.
Macau’s land area reached 32.9 square kilometres at the end of last year. The population density rose from 20,000 people per square kilometres in 2018 to 20,400 last year.
(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)
PHOTO © Wander Wisdom
