Hong Kong experienced an unusually hot and dry September, with temperatures ranking among the highest on record and rainfall falling to less than a third of the monthly normal, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.
In its monthly weather summary published on Monday, the Observatory said the mean minimum temperature reached 27.1 degrees Celsius last month, the fifth-highest on record for September.
The monthly mean temperature stood at 28.8 degrees, while the mean maximum temperature reached 31.8 degrees — 0.9 degrees and 1.3 degrees above their respective normals. Both ranked among the 10 highest on record for September.
Under the influence of an anticyclone aloft, the weather remained generally fine and dry during the day for six consecutive days toward the end of the month.
With abundant sunshine, temperatures climbed to a monthly high of 34.2 degrees on the afternoon of September 30.
The mean relative humidity was 74 percent, four percentage points below normal and the joint sixth-lowest on record for September.
Rainfall totaled just 94.3 millimeters during the month, about 29 percent of the normal 321.4mm.
Despite the dry September, accumulated rainfall in the first nine months of the year reached 2,451.9mm, around 9 percent above the normal 2,242.8mm.
The month began on a more unsettled note under the influence of Tropical Cyclone Saudel, which prompted the Observatory to issue the Standby Signal No. 1 from August 31 until the early hours of September 4.
Saudel moved northeastward across the northern part of the South China Sea on September 1 before making landfall near Zhangzhou in Fujian and weakening on the morning of September 3.
Under the combined influence of Saudel and the northeast monsoon, occasional strong winds affected offshore areas and high ground on September 1, while rainfall exceeded 40mm over parts of the eastern New Territories.
The northeast monsoon returned in mid-September, bringing mainly fine and dry conditions.
Under the brief influence of showers, the city recorded its lowest temperature of the month at 25.5 degrees in the early hours of September 11.
Looking ahead, the Observatory forecast temperatures to be normal to above normal, while rainfall is expected to be normal to below normal.
