HKO records lowest temperature this winter
The Hong Kong Observatory is reminding people to wrap up warm, saying it's expecting the mercury to dip to 8 degrees in urban areas on Thursday night.  The forecaster recorded a minimum temperature of 9.8 degrees at its Tsim Sha Tsui headquarters on Thursday morning – the lowest so far this winter.  It said it expects the cold snap to continue for a couple more days.  “It will be persistently cold in the next couple of days and on Christmas Day. It will also be dry. The minimum temperature in the urban areas will be about 8 degrees on Winter Solstice, and a couple of degrees lower in the New Territories,” the weatherman said.  Meanwhile, the Centre for Health Protection is reminding members of the public to be extra vigilant, saying the chilly weather can easily trigger or exacerbate diseases, especially among the elderly and persons suffering from heart disease, respiratory illness or other chronic illnesses. "Elderly people have less insulating fat beneath their skin to keep them warm and their body temperature control mechanism may be weaker. Their body may not be able to appropriately respond to the cold weather," a CHP spokesman said.