Hong Kong residents will be able to take in a full lunar eclipse if weather conditions permit on Tuesday, according to the observatory.

The eclipse will begin before moonrise, and part of the moon will enter the Earth's umbra by 6.22pm.

The total eclipse phase will last for just under an hour, starting at 7.04pm, when the moon will be completely engulfed by the umbra, with the maximum eclipse occurring half an hour later and the moon exiting from the umbra at 8.03pm.

The moon will appear dull red during the period.

The entire astronomical event will conclude at 10.25pm.

The forecaster said locations facing east with no obstructions are ideal for viewing the eclipse, subject to cloud cover and rainfall developments.

"Our weather forecast for Tuesday night is mainly cloudy with occasional showers. If there are any coincidence that there are gaps between the clouds, that would make the lunar eclipse visible," said Scientific Officer Wong Yat-chun.

"But I would say as of the weather forecast, the probability would be relatively on the low side."

Meanwhile, the observatory also said that last month was unseasonably warm due to the generally weaker northeast monsoon over southern China, with Hong Kong recording a monthly mean temperature of 20.1 degrees Celsius – three degrees above normal.

Only one cold-weather warning signal was issued during the month, with the mean maximum temperature hitting 22.9 degrees and the mean minimum temperature at 18.1 degrees – 3.5 degrees and 2.8 degrees higher than normal respectively.

The hottest day of the month was on February 16, with the mercury rising to 27.9 degrees in the afternoon, making it the highest on record for Lunar New Year's Eve.

This was followed by February 15, which clocked a maximum temperature of 26.9 degrees.

The forecaster said the city experienced the warmest winter on record from December 2025 to February 2026, with mean temperatures reaching 19.3 degrees or two degrees above average.

Only five cold days were recorded during the season.

During the period, the mean maximum temperature was 21.9 degrees and the mean minimum temperature was 17.3 degrees – the highest and second highest on record respectively for this period of the year.




Edited by Thomas McAlinden