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October 2009 was warmer and drier than usual with a mean temperature of 26.2 degrees, which was 0.9 degrees above the normal of 25.3 degrees. The daily minimum temperatures during the month never fell below 23.0 degrees, which had occurred only once on record in 2006. The total rainfall of 44.4 millimetres in the month was about 71% below the normal figure of 151.9 millimetres. The accumulated rainfall since January 1 was 2071.7 millimetres, about 10% below the normal figure of 2313.1 millimetres for the same period.
Affected by a dry northeast monsoon over southern China, the weather in Hong Kong was generally fine and dry for the first six days of the month. Brief showers occurred on the morning of October 7 and fine and dry weather resumed for the next three days.
Tropical Storm Parma entered the South China Sea on October 9 and moved across the northern part of the South China Sea on the next day. Under the combined effect of the northeast monsoon and Parma, the weather in Hong Kong became windy with a few rain patches from October 11-14. With the dissipation of Parma over Vietnam on October 15, local winds moderated and the weather became brighter with some haze on October 15 and 16. It was sunny and dry on the next two days.
An area of low pressure over the northwestern part of the South China Sea intensified into a tropical depression on October 19. Under the influence of the peripheral rain bands associated with the tropical depression, local weather turned cloudy with a few rain patches.
The northeast monsoon over southern China strengthened on October 20, bringing cloudy, windy and slightly cooler weather to Hong Kong on that day. It remained cloudy the next day. With the moderation of the northeast monsoon, the weather turned fine and dry on October 22. Affected by a dry continental airstream, the weather continued to be mainly fine and dry over the territory until the end of the month.
Six tropical cyclones occurred over the western North Pacific and the South China Sea in the month.
Details of the issuance and cancellation of various warnings/signals in the month are summarised in Table 1. Monthly meteorological figures and departures from normal of October are tabulated in Table 2.
Ends/Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:06
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