HONG KONG: Hong Kong temperatures climbed to above 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit) this week, a level never recorded for March and just a week after the financial hub logged its coldest start to the month in eight years.

The Hong Kong Observatory said Sunday's 31.5 C was the highest temperature ever recorded in March since record-keeping began in 1884. The weather forecaster said on its website that it expected temperatures on Tuesday to hit 31 C again.

The record heat comes just a week after the Chinese special administrative region had a colder-than-usual start to the month with temperatures of around 16 C. Temperatures are expected to dip slightly on Wednesday to a low of 21 C, the observatory said.