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Hong Kong's climate is
subtropical, tending towards the temperate
for nearly half the year. November and
December are generally regarded as the
best months of the year with pleasant
breezes, plenty of sunshine and comfortable
temperatures.
January and February
are cloudier, with occasional cold fronts
bringing in cold northerly winds. Temperatures
can drop below 10 degrees Celsius in urban
areas. Sub-zero temperatures and frost
occur on high ground infrequently. March
and April can be mild and pleasant but
humid. Fog sometimes disrupts air traffic
and ferry services because of reduced
visibility.
From May to August,
it is hot and humid with occasional showers
and thunderstorms. Afternoon temperatures
often exceed 31 degrees, but at night
temperatures generally stay around 26
degrees.
Hong Kong is more likely
to be affected by tropical cyclones between
June and October. When a tropical cyclone
is some 1 000 kilometres southeast
of Hong Kong, the weather is usually fine
and exceptionally hot. If cyclones get
close they can bring high winds and heavy
and widespread rain. Landslips and flooding
sometimes cause considerably more damage
than the winds.
About 80 per cent of
the annual rainfall falls between May
and September. August is the wettest month
while January is the driest. Severe weather
phenomena in Hong Kong include tropical
cyclones, strong winter and summer monsoon
winds, monsoon troughs and thunderstorms
with associated squalls. Waterspouts and
hailstorms occur infrequently, while snow
and tornadoes are rare.
The Year's Weather
It was the third wettest
year on record, mostly due to a very active
southwest monsoon in the summer bringing
in plenty of moisture. The total rainfall
of 3 214.5 millimetres was some 45 per
cent above the normal 2 214.3 millimetres.
June 2005 was the fourth wettest June
and August the second wettest August since
records began in 1884. It was also a hazy year.
For some 28 per cent of the time, reduced
visibility of 8 kilometres or less was
observed at the Hong Kong International
Airport, breaking the previous record
of about 24 per cent set in 2004. Only
three tropical cyclones affected Hong
Kong, roughly half the normal figure.
The first tropical cyclone warning signal
of the year was issued on 12 August, the
latest in post-war years. |