Hong Kong is expected to have unsettled weather over the next two to three days, with showers and possible thunderstorms. On 1 September, the first day of the school term, some areas may have more showers and local thunderstorms, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.
A broad low-pressure trough is bringing showers to the Guangdong coast and the northern South China Sea, while the Observatory is forecasting unsettled weather in Hong Kong.
Several weather and artificial intelligence models suggest that a low-pressure area could form along the trough around 1 September. Forecasts differ over whether it could cross the South China Sea towards Taiwan or approach eastern Guangdong.
The sources give no consistent outcome for the system's formation or development. One forecast says it could develop into a low-pressure area, while another possibility is that it could become a tropical cyclone; the predicted path also remains divided.
The Observatory said it may issue a rainstorm warning signal or a localised heavy-rain alert if necessary, and reminded the public to pay attention to weather changes. The areas affected by showers and thunderstorms on the school day will depend on subsequent conditions.
Urban areas are forecast to reach about 33°C on 29 August. About 20 millimetres of rain was recorded in eastern Hong Kong Island and Cheung Chau between 28 and 29 August. The weather is expected to improve around the middle of the following week as drier continental air affects southern China, but conditions are forecast to remain very hot.
Tropical Cyclone Saudel was meanwhile crossing inland eastern China and was expected to move into central China and weaken on 29 August. The Observatory said it was a considerable distance from Hong Kong and posed little direct threat. The chance of a tropical-cyclone warning was considered low unless it took a route closer to the Pearl River Estuary.
Showers and thunderstorms therefore remain possible in Hong Kong over the coming days, including the first school day, while the potential low-pressure system's formation, development and path are still uncertain.