People living in Hong Kong’s urban areas may experience the coldest day this winter on Sunday, with the mercury falling to 10 degrees Celsius under the influence of an intense winter monsoon, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.

It will be very cold in the New Territories and temperatures will be significantly lower on high ground, the forecaster said in a 4:45 pm bulletin on Saturday.

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The maximum temperature will be about 16 degrees during the day, it added.

The cold snap is coinciding with the Hong Kong Marathon 2025, which will be held on Sunday morning with the participation of over 74,000 runners. The local authorities have advised runners taking part in the marathon to keep warm.

A cold weather warning, which was issued at 4:20 pm on Friday, was in force the whole day Saturday.

On Saturday morning, the minimum temperature reached 11 degrees or lower in the city’s urban areas.

“An intense winter monsoon is bringing very dry weather to the coast of Guangdong. Locally, the relative humidity over most parts of the territory stayed below 40 percent in the afternoon,” reads the HKO bulletin.

The Home Affairs Department has opened 18 temporary cold shelters across the city for people in need of the service. The shelters will remain open when the Cold Weather Warning is in force.

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With moderate to fresh northerly winds, Monday morning will also remain cold, the observatory said, adding that temperatures will rise gradually in the following couple of days.

The coldest day recorded so far this winter was Jan 12, when the temperature dropped to 11 degrees or lower.