Hong Kong vows to revamp heat stress warning system by month’s end
Authorities are aiming to revamp a heat stress warning system by the end of the month after it was deemed inadequate by former Observatory chiefs amid a historic heatwave. Labour and welfare chief Chris Sun said on Tuesday that the government would look into whether the warning system could be better tailored to Hong Kong’s […]
Hong Kong authorities are set to overhaul the city's heat stress warning system by the end of the month, following criticism from former Observatory chiefs during a recent historic heatwave. Labour and welfare chief Chris Sun announced that the government would review the system's thresholds and tailor it to Hong Kong's unique weather conditions.
He emphasized that the Labour Department and Observatory would work together to complete the revamp within a month. Former Observatory chief Lam Chiu-ying recently labeled the mechanism "decorative," stating it only issued the lowest alert during extreme temperatures. The city's customised Heat Index, which considers factors like humidity and wind speed, has yet to trigger the red or black warnings, despite soaring temperatures.
The system triggers an amber warning at a reading of 30 and red or black warnings at 32 and 34, respectively. Labour chief Sun expressed confidence that Hui would build upon past experiences in reviewing the system, addressing societal concerns and climate change implications.
Written by urgent.news from Hong Kong Free Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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