The cold was felt across Macau yesterday as the city experienced a sudden drop in temperature.
The yellow* cold weather alert had been issued by the local weather bureau (SMG), with cool temperatures expected to persist in the next few days. The lowest temperature, according to the SMG website’s 7-day forecast, could dip as low as nine degrees.
The Post asked several members of the public last night about what they were doing to cope and stay warm, along with their tips to deal with the chilly weather.
“I’ve been here for a long time, so I think I’m ready for the cold weather” said a 34-year-old Filipino named Henry, adding that in the 10 years that he’s worked here, he got to experience one of Macau’s coldest winters and now knows to expect temperatures to drop around the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday. Wearing enough clothing is a way to stay warm, but Henry said that one should also prepare in case one gets ill. “It’s common for people to get sick in this weather, maybe you’ll catch a cold or get a fever, so you should definitely prepare some medicine”.
Meanwhile, a market vendor in her sixties named Tam seemed unfazed, noting: “Cold is cold”. However, to tackle the chill, she emphasised the need to wear more clothing during this period, along with drinking warm liquids. But more than that, she emphasised that hand warming pouches help a lot, noting that they offer a great way to get through the nippy weather.
“Just let it be” added a local woman in her fifties who operates a stall in the city centre as she was braving the frigid weather last night. “Of course, I do feel the cold while I stand here, this is just the situation”, adding that the wintry conditions comes with the CNY holiday. But working, she said, especially when it gets busy, does help her keep warm, along with the heat coming from her stall. In general, however, she said that there is no better way to stay warm than wearing more layers of clothing.
Work is what also helps Lei, a local shop assistant, deal with the bitter cold. According to the 22-year-old, he thinks that people from Macau are quite attentive to changes in weather, pointing out that it is not uncommon to see everyone fully geared up for the weather. And as we approach CNY and the month of February, “They know they should keep warm…they have this sense”.
According to the local observatory, the temperature stood a 9.8 degrees Celsius in Taipa at 1:47 a.m. today.
* “The cold weather alert in Macau comprises yellow and orange alerts. The bureau will issue a yellow alert if it predicts that Macau’s weather will be cold, while an orange alert will be issued if it predicts that the city will be hit by very cold weather”, according to a previous report by the Post on December 18, 2020.
A sign carrier promoting a beef offal eatery tries to stay warm by wearing a thick jacket in Largo de S. Domingos in the city centre.
– Photo taken last night by Rui Pastorin
