Hong Kong 2006
 GO
Chapter 14:
The Environment
Introduction
Administrative Framework
Pollution Prevention
Cross-boundary Cooperation
Legislation and Pollution Control
Air Pollution
Indoor Air Quality
Noise
Water Quality and Sewerage
Waste Management
Government Laboratory
Flora
Terrestrial Fauna
Marine Fauna
Legislation and Nature Conservation
Protected Areas
Topography and Geology
Hydrography and Oceanography
Climate
Meteorological Services
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Climate

Hong Kong's climate is sub-tropical, 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. The close approach of tropical cyclones could 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 occurs 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

2006 was the eighth warmest year since Hong Kong started recording temperatures in 1884. The annual mean temperature of 23.5 degrees was 0.5 degree higher than normal. The monthly mean temperature of October 2006 (26.4 degrees) equalled the record of October set in 1983, while that of November 2006 (23.3 degrees) broke the November record set in 1998 (23.2 degrees). The year 2006 was also wet. The annual rainfall of 2 627.8 millimetres was about 19 per cent above the normal of 2 214.3 millimetres.

Seven tropical cyclones affected Hong Kong, which was near normal.
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