HKO says Hong Kongers faced hotter July than usual

Hong Kongers faced hotter weather in July compared to previous years, the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) reported on Friday.

With a stronger-than-usual subtropical ridge dominating southern China, July recorded a monthly mean temperature of 29.9 degrees Celsius, one degree above normal and the fourth highest on record.

The mean maximum temperature was 32.4 degrees, 0.8 degrees above average, while the mean minimum was 28.0 degrees, 1.1 degrees higher than usual, marking the ninth and third highest, respectively, for July.

On July 6, a daily maximum of 34 degrees was recorded, among the highest for moderate heat. The highest temperature of the month, 34.8 degrees, occurred on July 7.

Monthly rainfall was 458.5 millimeters, approximately 19 percent above the normal of 385.8 millimeters, although the total for the first seven months was about 10 percent below average at 1,321.9 millimeters.