Macau’s observatory released yesterday its local weather review of 2024, showing that climate change brought record-breaking heat, tropical cyclones and heavy rainfall last year, with the highest temperature of 35.4 degrees Celsius recorded on August 5 and the lowest of 4.3 degrees on January 24.
According to the report by the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG), in 2024 Macau recorded a yearly average temperature of 23.6 degrees, 0.8 degree above the global climate average, likely to tie with 2019 as the world’s hottest year on record, with the temperature in April breaking the local records set in 1952, as the “monthly average temperature”, “monthly average maximum temperature” and “monthly average minimum temperature”. The report noted that the temperature of last year’s Mid-Autumn Festival of 34.6 degrees was the highest recorded since 1952.
The local weather station started to register Macau’s temperature records in 1952 only.
The number of hot days recorded last year stood at 42, while the number of cold days was only 28 – 10.7 hot days more than the climate average of 31.3 hot days and 11.1 fewer cold days than the climate average of 39.1 cold days respectively, the report pointed out.
The report defined “hot” days as those with a temperature of 33 degrees Celsius or above, while it defined “cold” days as those with a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius or below.
The report also underlined that the frequency of extreme weather events in Macau increased last year, with the occurrence of seven tropical cyclones having affected Macau last year, including Super Typhoon Yagi which required the issuance of Typhoon Signal No. 8, and the rare occurrence of three tropical cyclones affecting the city in November, namely Super Typhoon Yinxing, Typhoon Toraji, and Super Typhoon Man-yi.
According to the report, a total of 47 storm-surge warnings were issued last year, including one Black, eight Yellow and eight Red Rainstorm warnings. The report added that precipitation in November was significantly higher, with a cumulative monthly total of 176.6 millimetres, about four times the climatic mean and the second wettest November since 1952.
Hail was recorded in various areas of the city on the night of April 30 last year, 11 years after the same phenomenon was recorded at the local airport, with frequent lightning and strong gusty winds, the report noted.
According to a separate statement by the weather station yesterday, it issued last year 155 weather warnings and 655 alerts, including graphic tweets and special weather information.
The statement said that due to the fact that the real atmospheric movement cannot be fully grasped in such a small place as Macau, there was always uncertainty in weather forecasts, a situation that would be magnified over time, adding that the observatory will first alert the public about weather changes by means of graphic push notifications or special weather messages when major weather changes are expected within three to four days, and then further alert the public about the expecting time of the upcoming weather changes and the degree of impact by means of special weather messages as time goes by. The statement added that the bureau will make quantitative forecasts and issue weather warnings accordingly when weather changes are imminent.
This image provided by the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) yesterday shows the main findings of its 2024 local weather review.
