Hong Kong has recorded its warmest October since weather records began in 1884, with the month’s mean temperature reaching 27.6°C, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.
The figure was 1.9°C above the October normal. Both the monthly mean daily maximum and minimum temperatures also set October records, at 30.5°C and 25.8°C respectively. Source: Hong Kong Observatory; RTHK
In its monthly summary published on 3 November, the Observatory said the unusually warm conditions were mainly associated with a weaker-than-normal northeast monsoon and a stronger-than-normal upper-air anticyclone over southern China. They occurred against the backdrop of climate warming and a very strong El Niño event.
The mean daily maximum was 2.4°C above normal, while the mean daily minimum was 1.9°C above normal. The Observatory’s comparison uses the 1991–2020 climatological normal.
October was also drier than usual. The Observatory recorded 81.0 millimetres of rain during the month, around 67% of the normal figure of 120.3 millimetres.
The highest temperature recorded at the Observatory during October was 33.6°C on 1 October. Temperatures across Hong Kong generally rose to around 33°C on the afternoon of 21 October, with some areas experiencing extremely hot weather.
