Extreme Temperatures
The daily maximum temperature hit 36.3 degrees Celsius, the Hong Kong Observatory said, with higher temperatures recorded in some parts of the city earlier in the day.
A layer of haze hung over the metropolis of seven million, as people wielding electric fans and umbrellas tried in vain to beat the boiling heat.
"This is a new record," a Hong Kong Observatory spokesman told AFP.
Spokesperson Lee Wright said police had assisted motorists on state highways and some had been taken to safety.
A considerable amount of snow had fallen on the Lewis Pass especially, and it would be some time before it dissipated.
"The Lewis Pass has 400mm of snow and a very heavy snow burden on the trees," Wright said.
"It is estimated that some of the 'snow bombs' are up to 3/4 tonne so no work can be done in these areas until they fall."
More bad weather is predicted today with forecasts showing snow down to 200 metres.
Police are warning motorists to use snow chains on most routes and many highways are down to 60km/h in many places.
Tokyo reached 36.7 degrees Celsius (98.1 degrees Fahrenheit) shortly before noon local time Friday, marking its eighth straight day of highs at or above Japan's "extreme heat" threshold of 35 C (95 F). An analysis of Japan Meteorological Agency data, conducted by The Weather Channel, confirmed that the previous record was just four consecutive days sent on five different occasions between 1978 and 2013. Records began in central Tokyo in June 1875.
The torrid late-morning reading also marked central Tokyo's highest reported temperature since Aug. 30, 2013. The city's all-time record high remains 39.5 C (103.1 F) set July 20, 2004.
The toll from Japan's ongoing heat wave accelerated last week, boosting the year's official tally to 55 heat-related deaths and sending more than 11,000 to the hospital according to new government figures released Tuesday.

Tasmanian emergency crews rescued two men whose car was snowed in. The pair were reached on foot after almost 24 hours after hazardous conditions thwarted earlier attempts by snowplough and helicopter.
Police have rescued 10 people who were stranded for more than a day after heavy snow in Tasmania.
Two men were rescued in Mount Field national park late on Monday night after their car was snowed in, but police were not aware of the other party until Tuesday.
At about 1pm on Tuesday, a helicopter winched nine adults and a child to safety from the same national park, north-west of Hobart.
Four had taken shelter in a hut - details of the others were not immediately released.
"All persons were in good condition and spirits," police search and rescue spokesman Michael Preshaw said.
Weather Zone meteorologist Brett Dutschke said the snow had fallen as low as sea level on some of the beaches around Hobart.
"It's very cold air that's travelled up from Antarctica and it's been moving up with an intense cold front," he said.
He said that there was another snowfall in the city in 2005 but it was not as widespread as this morning's.

It was so cold in Croydon, in Melbourne's east, that even birdbaths were freezing over.
The average top temperature was 13.3 degrees Celsius in July, the lowest mark since 1995, when it was 12.9C.
Temperatures were consistently 1C below the normal average maximum temperature across the state.
The mercury dropped as low as minus 6C in Bendigo.
Melbourne had its coldest morning in 18 years on July 19, when the mercury dropped to just 0.6C in the city.
"We've lost about 1.5 million juvenile fish this year due to drought conditions at our hatcheries," Ron Warren of Washington State's Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a statement. "This is unlike anything we've seen for some time."
Sockeye salmon losses in the Columbia River due to the heat are in the hundreds of thousands, said Jeff Fryer, senior fishery scientist with the river's Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. The fish were returning from the ocean to spawn when the "unprecedented" warm water killed them, he said.
Water temperatures in the Columbia River — part of which runs along the border of Oregon and Washington — reached the low 70s shortly after July 4, something that doesn't usually happen until August, if at all, Fryer said.
High temperatures — coupled with the low water levels — can be lethal to fish, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. With no end to the drought in sight, there could be additional fish die-offs, said Rod French, a fish biologist with the department.
The Weather Service issued a 'code yellow' weather warning on Saturday, meaning: "The weather is potentially dangerous. The weather phenomena that have been forecast are are not unusual, but be attentive if you intend to practice activities exposed to meteorological risks. Keep informed about the expected meteorological conditions and do not take any avoidable risks."
The entire island is already basking in "wall-to-wall sunshine" as a swathe of blistering hot air sweeps in from Asia.
The heat wave will peak on Tuesday with temperatures reaching 42 degrees inland, a meteorologist told the Cyprus News Agency.
The mercury this weekend will average around the 38 degrees mark and will gradually climb above 40ºC, with 41 degrees being the average.
On the coastal areas slightly lower temperatures, ranging from 34 to 38 degrees, are expected.
Take Precautions
The heat could have health impacts, causing dehydration and exhaustion, particularly in people over age 65, infants and young children, people with medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, asthma or respiratory conditions.
Jim Nicolson said that this year's weather is "almost certainly the worst" he's experienced in Shetland in the last four decades, with high levels of rainfall and a cold climate affecting the growth of grass and crops.
His comments come after NFU president Allan Bowie said this week that there is "real concern" over how some farmers will cope in the coming months as a result of the poor weather.
Bowie made the remarks after visiting Caithness to see first-hand the impact the climate has had on Scotland's agriculture industry.
Nicolson, who chairs the Shetland NFU branch, said that there are continuing "knock-on effects" that will run on through to winter as a result of adverse weather earlier in the year.
The actual air temperature was 109 degrees with a dew point temperature of 90, the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang reported.
"Bandar Mahshahr sits adjacent to the Persian Gulf in southwest Iran where water temperatures are in the 90s. Such high temperatures lead to some of the most oppressive humidity levels in the world when winds blow off the water," wrote Jason Samenow, of the Post.
Comment: All over the world extreme weather records are being broken! See also:
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Heat and high humidity can be a deadly combination