Appendix F Meteorological
Data
November
2013
Mainly attributed by Severe
Typhoon Krosa and Super Typhoon Haiyan,
the weather of November 2013 was wetter than usual. The total rainfall of
the month was 83.1 millimetres, more than double of
the normal figure of 37.6 millimetres. The
accumulated rainfall since 1 January was 2759.0 millimetres,
about 16 percent above the normal figure of 2371.6 millimetres
for the same period. It was also gloomier than usual with 133.4 hours
bright sunshine, about 26 percent below normal. The monthly mean
temperature of 21.7 degrees was slightly below the normal figure of 21.8
degrees.
December
2013
Under the influence of cold spells
brought by the winter monsoon during the second half of the month, the weather
of December 2013 was significantly colder than usual. The monthly mean
temperature of 16.1 degrees was 1.8 degrees below the normal figure of 17.9
degrees, the lowest for December since 1975. The active winter monsoon
also maintained generally dry conditions for most parts of the month, and yet
the month turned out to be much wetter than usual in terms of rainfall due to
the rainy episode between 14 and 17 December. The total rainfall of the
month was 88.3 millimetres, more than three times the
normal figure of 26.8 millimetres and the tenth
highest for December on record. The annual total rainfall of 2013 was
2847.3 millimetres, about 19 percent above the normal
figure of 2398.5 millimetres.
January
2014
Under the dominance of a dry
northeast monsoon for most part of the month, the weather in January 2014 was
sunnier and drier than usual. The mean amount of cloud for the month was
32 percent, tied with 1986 as the fourth lowest record for January. With
less cloud cover, the total duration of bright sunshine in the month was 238.8
hours, tying with 1902 as the sixth highest record for January. Only
traces of rainfall were recorded in the month, making it one of the second
driest Januarys on record. The monthly mean temperature of 16.3 degrees
was on par with the normal.
February 2014
With several rounds of transition
between warm and cold air masses along the coast of Guangdong, the weather of
Hong Kong in February 2014 was marked by fluctuating temperatures. The
mild episodes in the first and last weeks of the month contrasted sharply
against the chilly weather that prevailed in mid-February. On the whole,
February 2014 was cooler than usual with a monthly mean temperature of 15.5
degrees, 1.3 degrees below the normal figure of 16.8 degrees. February
2014 was also drier than normal. The monthly rainfall of 39.5 millimetres was about 27 percent below the normal figure of
54.4 millimetres. Without any measurable
rainfall in January 2014, the accumulated rainfall of 39.5 millimetres
in the first two months of the year was only about half of the normal figure of
78.9 millimetres for the same period.
March
2014
March 2014 was characterized by
gloomy weather during the first-half of the month and heavy rain episodes
towards the end of the month. While the monthly total duration of bright
sunshine of 86.0 hours was slightly below normal by 5 percent, there were only
5.0 hours of bright sunshine from 1 to 15 March.
The month was also cooler and wetter than
usual. The monthly mean temperature of 18.7 degrees was 0.4 degree below
the normal figure of 19.1 degrees. The total rainfall of the month was
207.6 millimetres, more than double of the normal
figure of 82.2 millimetres. About 99 percent of
the monthly rainfall fell between 29 and 31 March. The accumulated
rainfall of 247.1 millimetres since 1 January was
about 53 percent above the normal figure of 161.3 millimetres
for the same period.
April
2014
The weather of April 2014 was
drier and sunnier than usual. The total rainfall of the month was 132.4 millimetres, about 24 percent below the normal figure of
174.7 millimetres. However, the accumulated
rainfall since 1 January of 379.5 millimetres was
about 13 percent above the normal figure of 336.1 millimetres
for the same period. The total duration of bright sunshine of the month
was 119.4 hours, about 17 percent above the normal figure of 101.7 hours.
The mean temperature of 22.6 degrees for the month was on par with
normal.
May 2014
May 2014 was characterized by
gloomy and rainy conditions during the first part of the month and persistent
hot weather in the latter part. The total rainfall of 687.3 millimetres was more than double the normal amount for May
and the seventh highest May rainfall on record. The accumulated rainfall
since 1 January of 1066.8 millimetres was about 67 percent
above the normal figure of 640.7 millimetres for the
same period. With about three quarters of the sunshine occurring in the
second half of the month, the total duration of bright sunshine of the month
was 107.8 hours, about 23 percent below the normal figure of 140.4 hours.
Sunny and hot weather in the last week of the
month also brought the average temperature for the month up to 26.4 degrees,
half a degree above the normal figure of 25.9 degrees.
June
2014
With the monthly mean temperature
reaching 29.0 degrees, June 2014 was the hottest June in Hong Kong since
records began in 1884. The monthly mean minimum temperature of 27.0
degrees and maximum temperature of 31.5 degrees were respectively one of the
second and the third highest for June. Such high temperatures were
attained despite the facts that sunshine duration and rainfall for the month
were not far from normal. The total rainfall of the month was 436.6 millimetres, about 4 percent below the normal figures of
456.1 millimetres. The accumulated rainfall
since 1 January of 1503.4 millimetres was about 37
percent above the normal figure of 1096.9 millimetres
for the same period.
July
2014
Under the dominance of a
subtropical ridge over southern China for most part of the month, and with
episodes of continental air flow brought by passages of tropical cyclones over
the East China Sea, July 2014 emerged as the hottest July in Hong Kong with a
record-breaking monthly mean temperature of 29.8 degrees. The monthly
mean minimum temperature of 27.6 degrees equalled the
July record, while the monthly mean maximum temperature of 32.6 degrees also
ranked as one of the second highest for July. The month was relatively
sunny and drier than usual with a monthly rainfall amount of 260.5 millimetres, about 31 percent below the July normal of
376.5 millimetres. The accumulated rainfall
since 1 January was 1763.9 millimetres, about 20
percent above the normal of 1473.3 millimetres for
the same period.
August
2014
The weather of August 2014 was
hotter than usual due to prolonged spells of fine and sunny weather during the
month. The monthly mean temperature of 29.0 degrees was 0.4 degree higher
than the normal figure of 28.6 degrees, while the monthly duration of bright
sunshine of 212.0 hours was about 12 percent above the normal figure of 188.9
hours. With two heavy rain episodes around mid-August, the month was also
wetter than usual with a monthly rainfall amount of 548.2 millimetres,
about 27 percent above the August normal of 432.2 millimetres.
The accumulated rainfall since 1 January was 2312.1 millimetres,
about 21 percent above the normal of 1905.5 millimetres
for the same period.
September
2014
Under the dominance of the
subtropical ridge over southern China, September 2014 was the hottest September
on record. The monthly mean minimum temperature of 27.0 degrees and mean
temperature of 29.0 degrees were respectively the highest and one of the
highest for September since record began in 1884. The month was also
drier than usual with a monthly total rainfall amount of 140.6 millimetres, only about 43 percent of the September normal
of 327.6 millimetres. The accumulated rainfall
since 1 January was 2452.7 millimetres, about 10
percent above the normal of 2233.1 millimetres for
the same period.
October
2014
Under the dominance of a
relatively dry northeast monsoon, October 2014 was much warmer and sunnier than
usual. The mean temperature for the month was 26.2 degrees, 0.7 degrees
above the normal figure of 25.5 degrees and also the one of the fifth highest
for October since record began in 1884. The monthly total duration of
sunshine was 222.9 hours, about 15 percent above the normal figure of
193.9 hours.
The monthly total rainfall of 109.8 millimetres was slightly above the normal figure of 100.9 millimetres. The accumulated rainfall since 1 January
was 2562.5 millimetres, about 10 percent above the
normal of 2334.0 millimetres for the same period.