This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial.

The Hong Kong Observatory has issued another cold weather warning as health authorities call on elderly residents and people with chronic diseases to take “appropriate measures” to protect themselves.

The alert was posted at 6am on Friday, when the city’s temperatures ranged between 12 and 15 degrees Celsius (53.6 and 59 Fahrenheit) and dropped to as low as 6½ degrees at Hong Kong’s highest peak, Tai Mo Shan.

“The northeast monsoon will continue to affect Guangdong [on Friday] and [Saturday]. The weather will be cold over the region,” the forecaster said. “A broad band of clouds will bring a few rain patches to the coastal areas.”

The weather will be brighter on Saturday, with sunny periods in the afternoon and the mercury gradually increasing to above 20 degrees from the next day onwards.