Hong Kong endures record dry, hot May

Hong Kong experienced significantly drier and hotter conditions than usual in May, with rainfall plummeting to just 28 percent of the monthly average, according to the latest weather data.

The month saw only 81.6 millimeters of rainfall—far below the normal 290.6 millimeters—as a stronger-than-usual subtropical ridge dominated southern China. 

The first five months of the year accumulated just 207.1 millimeters of rain, marking the eighth-lowest recorded level for the period and only 35 percent of the usual 590.9 millimeters.

Temperatures also soared, with the monthly mean minimum temperature at 25.5 degrees, the monthly mean maximum temperature at 30.0 degrees, and the monthly mean temperature at 27.2 degrees. These were 1.0 degrees, 1.2 degrees, and 0.9 degrees above their corresponding normals, respectively. These temperatures were the eighth, ninth, and tenth highest on record for May.

The spring season from March to May was similarly warm, with the mean maximum temperature at 26.7 degrees and the mean temperature at 23.7 degrees. These were among the fifth and eighth highest on record for the same period, respectively.

No tropical cyclones formed in the South China Sea or the western North Pacific during May.