Warmest winter, wet February

Hong Kong's winter was the warmest on record, the weather forecaster says.

The average maximum temperature was 21.5 degrees Celsius, the highest on record for December and January, the Hong Kong Observatory said. The average temperature of 18.7 degrees and the average minimum temperature of 16.8 degrees were both the second highest on record.

Also, February was much warmer and wetter than usual.

The monthly average maximum temperature was 21.4 degrees, 2.5 degrees above the normal of 18.9 degrees and the sixth highest on record for February.

The monthly average temperature of 18.5 degrees and the average minimum temperature of 16.6 degrees were 1.7 degrees and 1.6 degrees above their corresponding normal temperatures respectively. Both were the joint eighth highest on record for February.

Rainfall in February was 79.8 millimeters – about 47 percent more than the normal of 54.4mm.

The accumulated rainfall recorded in the first two months of 2020 was 94.6mm, about 20 percent more than the normal of 79.1mm for the same period.