PUBLISHED ONJanuary 09, 2026 7:50 AMBYSean LerAmid warnings of cold weather issued by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) over the course of the week, inland areas in Hong Kong's New Territories woke up to the sight of frost as temperature dipped to single digits on Friday (Jan 9) morning.
The HKO had announced on Jan 6 that the influence of the winter monsoon is likely to cause "persistently cold" temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday morning.
At 4.20pm on Thursday, it issued an additional frost warning to the cold weather warning.
About an hour later, Hong Kong's Home Affairs Department announced the opening of 18 temporary cold shelters across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories.
According to the weatherman, temperature in many areas dropped to single digits, with some reaching 2 to 3 deg C on Friday morning.
It recorded a low of 2 deg C in New Territories' Ta Kwu Ling and 3.8 deg C in Sheung Shui's Tai Lung.
Hong Kong media outlet The Standard reported that open-air carparks and farmlands were coated in "silvery ice crystals", while vehicles along Sha Tau Kok Road — which links the border town of Sha Tau Kok to Ping Che — were covered in thick frost.
The frost warning was lifted at 8.15am on Friday, while the cold weather warning was lifted at 11am.
Warmer temperature with a low of 16 deg C and a high of 22 deg C are forecast over the next nine days.
The winter season in Hong Kong typically runs from December to February.
Meanwhile, the "red fire danger" warning, which places the risk of fire at the extreme level, remains in place.
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