The Weather of January 2003
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January 2003 was sunnier and slightly warmer than usual. The total bright sunshine duration of 191.8 hours was 39.4 hours above the normal figure. The mean temperature of 16.1 degrees was 0.3 degree above normal. The monthly total rainfall was 21.7 millimetres, 1.7 millimetres below the normal amount. The year 2003 started with cloudy weather. A weak surge of the northeast monsoon arrived in the evening of 2 January, bringing with it some light rain. Rain ceased the next day and it became mainly fine and dry for 2 days. It turned cloudy again on 5 January as winds strengthened from the east. An intense cold surge arrived in Hong Kong on 6 January. It brought continuous rain while the temperature dropped during the day to 8.8 degrees, the lowest in the month. The weather improved rapidly the next day. Under the dominance of the northeast monsoon, fine and dry conditions prevailed until 23 January. During this spell of fine weather, there were several occasions of haze. It turned cloudy with light rain on 24 January when winds freshened from the east. It was misty in the next 2 days under humid conditions. A cold front passed through Hong Kong during the early hours of 27 January and there were some rain patches. The weather improved rapidly during the day. It remained fine and dry on the next two days. It turned cloudy as winds strengthened from the east again on 30 January. The weather was much brighter on the last day of the month as the easterlies subsided. Only one tropical cyclone occurred in the western North Pacific in the month. Details of issuance and cancellation of various warnings/signals in the month are summarized in Tables 1.1 to 1.3. Monthly meteorological figures and departures from normal for January are tabulated in Table 2. |
Warnings and Signals issued in January 2003
| Beginning Time | Ending Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Day/Month | HKT | Day/Month | HKT |
| 2 / 1 | 0615 | 2 / 1 | 1345 |
| 6 / 1 | 1715 | 6 / 1 | 2140 |
| 24 / 1 | 0445 | 25 / 1 | 1140 |
| 27 / 1 | 0345 | 27 / 1 | 1515 |
| 30 / 1 | 1845 | 30 / 1 | 2145 |
| Colour | Beginning Time | Ending Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day/Month | HKT | Day/Month | HKT | |
| Yellow | 4 / 1 | 0000 | 5 / 1 | 1800 |
| Red | 11 / 1 | 0000 | 13 / 1 | 0600 |
| Red | 14 / 1 | 1030 | 15 / 1 | 1800 |
| Red | 18 / 1 | 0600 | 19 / 1 | 0600 |
| Yellow | 19 / 1 | 0600 | 19 / 1 | 1800 |
| Red | 23 / 1 | 1200 | 23 / 1 | 1800 |
| Red | 27 / 1 | 1800 | 29 / 1 | 0600 |
| Beginning Time | Ending Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Day/Month | HKT | Day/Month | HKT |
| 2 / 1 | 1630 | 4 / 1 | 1200 |
| 5 / 1 | 1630 | 8 / 1 | 1130 |
| 8 / 1 | 2315 | 10 / 1 | 0730 |
| 10 / 1 | 1630 | 11 / 1 | 0750 |
| 27 / 1 | 1630 | 28 / 1 | 1030 |
| Meteorological Element | Figure of the Month | Departure from Normal |
|---|---|---|
| Mean Daily Maximum Air Temperature | 18.3 degrees C | 0.3 degree below normal |
| Mean Air Temperature | 16.1 degrees C | 0.3 degree above normal |
| Mean Daily Minimum Air Temperature | 14.2 degrees C | 0.6 degree above normal |
| Mean Dew Point Temperature | 10.6 degrees C | 0.4 degree above normal |
| Mean Relative Humidity | 71 % | normal |
| Mean Cloud Amount | 50 % | 8 % below normal |
| Total Rainfall | 21.7 mm | 1.7 mm below normal |
| Total Bright Sunshine Duration | 191.8 hours | 39.4 hours above normal |
| Mean Daily Global Solar Radiation | 11.94 Megajoule / square metre | 0.31 Megajoule above normal |
| Total Evaporation | 72.5 mm | 25.0 mm below normal |
| Remarks : | All measurements were made at the Hong Kong Observatory except sunshine, solar radiation and evaporation which were recorded at King's Park Meteorological Station. |
