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The monthly mean temperature of October 2008 recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory is 26.5 degrees, the warmest since record began in 1884. It is 0.1 degree higher than the monthly mean temperature of 26.4 degrees recorded in 1983 and 2006.
According to climatological record (1971 to 2000), there are on average about six days with a minimum temperature of below 22.0 degrees in October. However, there was not a single day this October with a temperature of below 22.0 degrees.
From the perspective of large-scale weather situation, the northeast monsoon this October was rather weak which resulted in cooler air failing to reach the south China coastal areas. This is the main reason for the unusually warm October this year in Hong Kong.
This record-breaking temperature to a certain extent reflects the long-term warming trend in Hong Kong. According to the records of the Hong Kong Observatory from 1959 to 2008, the monthly mean October temperatures in the past 50 years showed a rising trend of about 0.2 degree each decade (see Figure 1). It is of interest to note that half of the 10 warmest Octobers occurred in the past decade (see Table 1).
Ends/Saturday, November 1, 2008
Issued at HKT 12:15
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