The Weather of November 1997

    November 1997 was the warmest November on record. The mean temperature of 23.1 degrees was the highest for the month and equalled to the previous record set in 1966. The mean minimum temperature of 21.2 degrees also ranked highest for November while the mean maximum temperature of 25.3 degrees was the seventh highest. There had been weaker than normal activity of the northeast monsoon and an unseasonable southerly airstream prevailed for several days over our region. The total bright sunshine duration was 202.6 hours or 21.1 hours more than the normal figure.

    Although the total rainfall in the month was only 7.1 millimetres or 28.0 millimetres below the normal figure, the accumulated rainfall since 1 January of 3 336.5 millimetres was 53 per cent above the normal figure and was the highest ever recorded for the period. This figure also makes 1997 the wettest year for Hong Kong on record.

    The winter monsoon continued to bring drier air and sunny weather to Hong Kong at the beginning of the month. A replenishment of the northeast monsoon reached the coastal areas on the evening of 3 November. Winds strengthened from the north the next day but maintained for a few hours only. Fine and sunny weather generally prevailed during the entire first half of the month, apart from some cloudy periods on 9 November. Temperatures rose to 28.6 degrees, the highest in the month, on 13 and 15 November.

    A cold front crossed the south China coast on the evening of 16 November. Winds strengthened from the north. Some scaffolding collapsed in strong winds in Kowloon City, Sham Shui Po and Lam Tin. There were some light rain patches during the passage of the front but the weather became sunny the next day and winds also subsided gradually. Temperatures dropped to 15.8 degrees, the lowest in the month, on 18 November. Under the influence of an intense winter monsoon, fine and dry weather prevailed the next few days.

    It became misty on 21 November as winds turned to the southeast and the weather was cloudy to overcast with rain on 23 November. For the next couple of days, under the influence of a maritime southerly airstream, it was very warm with isolated showers.

    Long sunny periods returned on 27 and 28 November. A weak cold front crossed the south China coast on 29 November. It was slightly cooler and the weather remained mainly cloudy with patches of light rain until the end of the month.

    Three tropical cyclones occurred in the western North Pacific and the South China Sea in the month.

    During the month, no aircraft was diverted due to adverse weather.