2 March 2021

With the northeast monsoon over southern China generally weaker than normal for most of the time in the month, February 2021 was much warmer and sunnier than usual in Hong Kong. The monthly mean maximum temperature of 23.5 degrees, monthly mean temperature of 19.8 degrees and monthly mean minimum temperature of 17.5 degrees were 4.1 degrees, 2.7 degrees and 2.2 degrees above their corresponding normals (or 4.6 degrees, 3.0 degrees and 2.5 degrees above their corresponding 1981-2010 normals) and respectively the second, third and fourth highest on record for February. The total duration of bright sunshine in the month was 205.1 hours, more than twice of the normal of 101.7 hours (or 110.9 hours above the 1981-2010 normal of 94.2 hours) and the fourth highest on record for February. Mainly attributing to the exceptional warm and sunny weather in February 2021, the winter from December 2020 to February 2021 was warmer than usual in Hong Kong. The mean temperature of 18.0 degrees was one of the seventh highest on record for the same period. The monthly rainfall was 62.1 millimetres, about 60 percent above the normal of 38.9 millimetres (or 14 percent above the 1981-2010 normal of 54.4 millimetres) in February. The accumulated rainfall recorded in the first two months of the year was 62.1 millimetres, a deficit of 14 percent compared to the normal of 71.9 millimetres (or 21 percent below the 1981-2010 normal of 78.9 millimetres) for the same period.

The weather of Hong Kong was fine and warm during the day on the first two days of the month. With plenty of sunshine, the temperature at the Observatory rose to a maximum of 27.6 degrees on the afternoon of 2 February, the highest of the month. A surge of the northeast monsoon arrived in the evening, local weather became windier and slightly cooler and remained so on the next day. Affected by a dry northeast monsoon, it was generally fine, warm and dry during the day on 4 – 7 February.

Under the influence of a strong easterly airstream, the weather of Hong Kong turned cloudier on 8 – 9 February. Affected by an upper-air disturbance and the associated rainband, local weather became cloudy with rain and cooler on 10 February. More than 30 millimetres of rainfall were generally recorded over the territory on that day. The weather remained cloudy and cool on 11 February with the temperature at the Observatory falling to a minimum of 15.3 degrees on the morning, the lowest of the month.

Under the influence of a dry northeast monsoon, the weather of Hong Kong turned fine with cool morning on 12 February, the first day of the Lunar New Year. Generally fine weather with warm daytimes persisted over the territory on 13-23 February.

With a fresh easterly airstream affecting the coast of Guangdong and a cloud band covering the northern part of the South China Sea, the weather of Hong Kong turned mainly cloudy on 24 February. There was a few rain patches on 25 February. It was warm with sunny intervals during the day on 26 February. A cold front moved across the coast of Guangdong that night and brought rainy weather to the territory. Under the influence of the northeast monsoon, local weather became cooler the next day with some rain in the morning. It remained mainly cloudy on the last day of the month.

One tropical cyclone occurred over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific in February 2021.

Details of issuance and cancellation of various warnings/signals in the month are summarized in Tables 1.1 to 1.2.  Monthly meteorological figures and departures from normal for February are tabulated in Table 2.