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The Year's Weather - 2001

    The year 2001 was warmer and wetter than usual.  The mean temperature of 23.6 degrees was 0.6 degree above normal, ranking the fourth highest on record.  The mean minimum temperature of 21.8 degrees was the second highest on record.  The annual total rainfall of 3091.8 millimetres also ranked the fourth highest.  In June 2001, the total rainfall of 1083.6 millimetres set a new record for the month.  Six tropical cyclones necessitated the hoisting of Tropical Cyclone Warning Signals.  The No. 8 signal was hoisted during the passage of Typhoon Utor and Typhoon Yutu.  The only Black Rainstorm Signal of the year was issued on September 1 while the Red Rainstorm Signal was issued on nine occasions.

    During the passage of Typhoon Utor on July 6, the storm surge coupled with astronomical high tide brought the sea level at Quarry Bay to 3.4 metres, the highest recorded in Victoria Harbour since Typhoon Wanda in 1962.

    January was warmer and wetter than usual.

    February was again warmer but drier than usual.

    Warmer and drier weather continued into March.  The rainstorm on March 25 necessitated the issuance of the Amber Rainstorm Warning, the earliest rainstorm warning in a year since the revised rainstorm warning system came into effect in 1998.

    April was again warmer and drier than usual.  Hail fell on April 9 during the passage of thunderstorms.

    May was the fourth consecutive month with warmer and drier weather.  The accumulated rainfall since January 1 amounted to only 410 millimetres, 33 per cent below the normal figure.

    With an active trough of low pressure lingering over the vicinity of the south China coast for about two thirds of the month, the weather of June was marked by persistent heavy rain and thunderstorms.  The monthly rainfall amounted to 1083.6 millimetres, about three times the normal figure.  This is also a new rainfall record for June, the previous record being 962.9 millimetres in June 1966.

    In June, Typhoon Chebi led to the hoisting of the Standby Signal No. 1 in Hong Kong for the first time this year.  Tropical Storm Durian, which developed into a full-fledged typhoon in early July, affected Hong Kong by the end of June and necessitated the hoisting of the Strong Wind Signal No. 3.

    July was wetter and cooler than usual.  A waterspout formed over the Tathong Channel during the passage of Durian.  Typhoon Utor and Typhoon Yutu both necessitated the hoisting of the No. 8 signal in Hong Kong.  The last time the No. 8 signal was hoisted twice in July was in 1966.

    It was warmer and drier than usual in August.  Standby Signal No. 1 was hoisted for Tropical Storm Fitow.

    September was warmer and wetter than usual.  Typhoon Nari, characterized by its erratic movement and unusual long life-span of 15 days, necessitated the hoisting of the No. 3 signal in Hong Kong.

    It was warmer and drier than usual in October.

    Dry weather continued into November with only 4.3 millimetres of rainfall recorded against a normal of 35.1 millimetres.

    December was warmer and wetter than usual.

Summary of Meteorological Observations in Hong Kong, 2001
 
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Month		 blank space
Mean
Pressure
(hPa)		 Air     Temperature blank space
Mean
Dew Point
Temperature
(deg. C)		 blank space
Mean
Relative
Humidity
(%)		 blank space
Mean
Amount
of Cloud
(%)		 blank space
Total
Rainfall
(mm)
blank space
Mean Daily
Maximum
(deg. C)		 blank space
Mean
(deg. C)		 blank space
Mean Daily
Minimum
(deg. C)
January 1017.5 19.0 17.3 15.6 13.3 78 68 47.6
February 1016.9 20.0 17.6 15.5 13.7 79 66 10.9
March 1014.9 22.8 20.6 18.6 16.2 77 72 56.5
April 1012.0 24.5 22.4 20.6 19.7 85 86 133.0
May 1007.5 29.1 26.7 25.0 23.3 82 79 162.0
June 1005.6 29.8 27.6 25.7 24.8 85 81 1083.6
July 1004.0 30.5 28.1 26.2 25.0 84 77 656.4
August 1005.4 31.6 29.2 27.1 25.2 80 70 318.9
September 1007.4 30.3 28.1 26.2 23.1 75 60 563.3
October 1014.7 27.8 26.1 24.6 20.7 73 61 10.7
November 1018.6 23.6 21.5 19.5 14.2 65 43 4.3
December 1022.0 20.1 18.3 16.4 12.9 72 62 44.6
Mean/Total 1012.2 25.8 23.6 21.8 19.3 78 69 3091.8
Normal 1012.9 25.7 23.0 20.9 18.6 77 65 2214.3
Station Hong  Kong  Observatory


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Month		 blank space
Total Bright
Sunshine
(hours)		 blank space
Mean Daily
Global Solar
Radiation
(MJ/m2)		 blank space
Total
Evaporation
(mm)		 blank space
Prevailing
Wind
Direction
(degrees)		 blank space
Mean
Wind Speed
(km/h)
January 112.2 9.07 59.7 060 24.9
February 127.9 11.51 67.4 050 22.1
March 140.4 13.32 94.2 060 20.5
April 79.0 10.25 71.3 070 21.6
May 149.5 15.01 120.9 080 17.4
June 114.0 11.71 113.8 220 20.2
July 136.3 12.90 129.8 100 25.0
August 207.9 15.69 144.6 090 17.2
September 162.3 13.39 132.7 360 19.2
October 205.9 14.70 124.0 080 26.9
November 206.4 13.10 102.3 070 26.3
December 143.0 9.78 80.0 060 26.4
Mean/Total 1784.8 12.54 1240.7 070 22.3
Normal 1948.1 14.46 1528.8 080 22.6
Station King's  Park Waglan  Island^


The minimum pressure recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory was 980.6 hectopascals at 0521 HKT on 6 July.

The maximum air temperature recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory was 34.0 degrees Celsius at 1552 HKT on 23 August.

The minimum air temperature recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory was 8.9 degrees Celsius at 0701 HKT on 22 December.

The maximum gust peak speed recorded at Waglan Island was 112 kilometres per hour from 190 degrees at 1915 HKT on 6 July.

The maximum instantaneous rate of rainfall recorded at King's Park was 330 millimetres per hour at 1747 HKT on 9 April.

^ In case the data are not available from Waglan Island, observations of Cheung Chau or other nearby weather stations will be incorporated in computing the Prevailing Wind Direction and Mean Wind Speed