Hong
Kong's climate is sub-tropical, tending towards temperate for nearly half
the year. During November and December there are pleasant breezes, plenty
of sunshine and comfortable temperatures. Many people regard these as
the best months of the year. January and February are more cloudy, with
occasional cold fronts followed by dry northerly winds. It is not uncommon
for temperatures to drop below 10 C in urban areas. The lowest temperature
recorded at the Observatory is 0 C, although sub-zero temperatures and
frost occur at times on high ground and in the New Territories.
March and
April can also be very pleasant although there are occasional spells of
high humidity. Fog and drizzle can be particularly troublesome on high
ground which is exposed to the southeast, and air traffic and ferry services
are occasionally disrupted because of reduced visibility.May to August
are hot and humid with occasional showers and thunderstorms, particularly
during the mornings. Afternoon temperatures often exceed 31 C whereas
at night, temperatures generally remain around 26 C with high humidity.
There is usually a fine dry spell in July which may possibly last for
one to two weeks, or for even longer in some years.September
is the month during which Hong Kong is most likely to be affected by tropical
cyclones, although gales are not unusual at any time between May and November.
On average, about 31 tropical cyclones form in the western North Pacific
or China Seas every year, and about half of them reach typhoon strength
(maximum winds of 118 kilometres per hour or more).When a tropical
cyclone is about 700 to 1000 kilometres southeast of Hong Kong, the weather
is usually fine and exceptionally hot, but isolated thunderstorms sometimes
occur in the evenings. If the centre comes closer to Hong Kong, winds
will increase and rain can become heavy and widespread. Heavy rain from
tropical cyclones may last for a few days and subsequent landslips and
flooding sometimes cause considerably more damage than the winds.The mean
annual rainfall ranges from around 1300 millimetres at Waglan Island to
more than 3000 millimetres in the vicinity of Tai Mo Shan. About 80 percent
of the rain falls between May and September. The wettest month is August,
when rain occurs about four days out of seven and the average monthly
rainfall at the Observatory is 391.4 millimetres. The driest month is
January, when the monthly average is only 23.4 millimetres and rain falls
only about six days a month.
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Hong
Kong