Hong Kong experienced an exceptionally hot August in 2026, with the Hong Kong Observatory reporting a mean temperature of 29.5°C—0.8°C above normal. The month also saw several hot-weather records broken or equalled, including a three-day spell of extreme heat and a temperature of 39.8°C in Sheung Shui.
The mean minimum temperature was 27.6°C, or 0.9°C above normal, making it the fourth-highest August figure since records began. The mean maximum temperature was 32.1°C, 0.8°C above normal and joint eighth-highest for August on record.
In early August, Hong Kong recorded hot weather for nine consecutive days, matching the longest such August spell previously recorded.
From August 9 to 11, the territory recorded extreme heat for three consecutive days. The spell broke records for both the number of extreme-heat days in a single August and the length of a continuous spell.
Sheung Shui recorded 39.8°C on August 9. i-CABLE News reported that this was the highest temperature recorded anywhere in Hong Kong since the Observatory established its automatic weather-station network.
Rainfall during the month was about 16 per cent below the normal level. Star Headline attributed the high temperatures to warmer-than-usual waters in the northern South China Sea, south-westerly winds near the southern China coast and subsiding air around Tropical Storm Dolphin.
The Observatory released its August climate data on September 2, describing the month as far hotter than normal.