The Year's Weather - 2006
Globally, the year 2006 is the sixth warmest year on record. In Hong Kong, it was the eighth warmest year since record began in 1884. The annual mean temperature of 23.5 degrees was 0.5 degree higher than normal. With the northeast monsoon weaker than normal over China, the monthly mean temperatures of October 2006 (26.4 degrees) equaled the record of October set in 1983, while that of November 2006 (23.3 degrees) broke the record of November (23.2 degrees set in 1998). The year 2006 was also wet. The annual rainfall of 2627.8 millimetres was about 19 per cent above normal. The extra rainfall was mainly due to an active trough of low pressure over the South China Coast in May, the combined effect of an active southwesterly and Severe Tropical Storm Bilis in July and a tropical depression in September.
In 2006, a total of 26 tropical cyclones formed over the western North Pacific and the South China Sea, while one tropical cyclone formed over the central part of the North Pacific and crossed the International Date Line into the western North Pacific. In the past 9 years, with the exception of 2004, the annual number of tropical cyclones in this ocean basin has been less than the annual average of 31. Seven tropical cyclones affected Hong Kong in 2006, which was near normal.
January was slightly warmer than usual.
The warmer weather continued into February. Due to the abundance of sunshine, the mean temperature of 17.7 degrees was 1.8 degrees above normal and ranked the tenth highest for February.
March was marked by low visibility, humid weather and rapidly fluctuating temperatures.
April was wetter than usual. Heavy rain and thunderstorm buffeted the territory on 24 April when a trough of low pressure move south across the south China coast. The Black Rainstorm Warning was issued for the first time this year.
May continued to be wetter than normal. An active trough of low pressure brought heavy rain to the territory on 2 and 3 May.
June was dominated by cloudy and rainy weather. A squall line swept across Hong Kong on the night of 9 June, bringing heavy rain and severe squalls. Peak gusts of 77 and 101 kilometres per hour were recorded at Central and Shek Kwu Chau respectively. About 20 trees were blown down at Ap Lei Chau.
Under the influence of an active southwest monsoon, the weather remained unsettled with heavy rain and severe thunderstorms in July. The torrential rain on 16 July necessitated the issuance of the third Black Rainstorm Warning of the year. In the early morning of that day, 115.1 millimetres of rainfall was registered at the Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., breaking the hourly rainfall record of 109.9 millimetres set on 8 May 1992.
In contrast to the previous four months, August was drier than usual.
September was cooler and wetter than usual.
October and November were much warmer than normal.
December was also warmer than normal.
 Month |
Mean Pressure (hPa) |
Air Temperature | Mean Dew Point Temperature (deg. C) |
Mean Relative Humidity (%) |
Mean Amount of Cloud (%) |
Total Rainfall (mm) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mean Daily Maximum (deg. C) |
Mean (deg. C) |
Mean Daily Minimum (deg. C) | ||||||
| January | 1018.5 | 18.4 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.7 | 79 | 72 | 16.3 |
| February | 1019.8 | 20.1 | 17.7 | 15.8 | 14.3 | 81 | 71 | 37.7 |
| March | 1015.3 | 20.5 | 18.5 | 16.6 | 16.0 | 86 | 76 | 48.4 |
| April | 1011.8 | 26.3 | 23.9 | 22.0 | 21.0 | 84 | 81 | 199.2 |
| May | 1010.1 | 28.0 | 25.8 | 24.0 | 22.6 | 83 | 75 | 431.5 |
| June | 1007.0 | 29.9 | 28.0 | 26.3 | 25.1 | 85 | 77 | 469.2 |
| July | 1003.8 | 31.2 | 29.0 | 27.0 | 25.6 | 83 | 72 | 569.2 |
| August | 1005.2 | 30.8 | 28.3 | 26.5 | 25.1 | 83 | 68 | 275.4 |
| September | 1009.6 | 29.1 | 26.6 | 24.8 | 22.4 | 78 | 71 | 420.2 |
| October | 1014.7 | 29.0 | 26.4 | 24.7 | 21.8 | 77 | 64 | 31.2 |
| November | 1015.5 | 25.5 | 23.3 | 21.6 | 18.5 | 76 | 65 | 99.6 |
| December | 1020.7 | 20.4 | 18.2 | 16.1 | 12.4 | 70 | 47 | 29.9 |
| Mean/Total | 1012.7 | 25.8 | 23.5 | 21.7 | 19.8 | 80 | 70 | 2627.8 |
| Normal* | 1012.9 | 25.7 | 23.0 | 20.9 | 18.6 | 77 | 65 | 2214.3 |
| Station | Hong Kong Observatory | |||||||
Month |
Number of hours of Reduced Visibility# (hours) |
Total Bright Sunshine (hours) |
Mean Daily Global Solar Radiation & (MJ/m2) |
Total Evaporation (mm) |
Prevailing Wind Direction (degrees) |
Mean Wind Speed (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 305 | 123.1 | 10.06 | 65.8 | 050 | 22.1 |
| February | 273 | 123.2 | 11.74 | 71.9 | 070 | 25.4 |
| March | 180 | 93.3 | 10.95 | 64.4 | 050 | 22.7 |
| April | 71 | 108.1 | 13.00 | 87.2 | 070 | 18.1 |
| May | 35 | 122.2 | 13.28 | 101.0 | 080 | 23.2 |
| June | 9 | 107.8 | 13.03 | 97.7 | 230 | 21.0 |
| July | 43 | 181.2 | 15.81 | 134.7 | 230 | 22.7 |
| August | 92 | 213.2 | 17.15 | 133.5 | 110 | 19.6 |
| September | 81 | 170.3 | 14.86 | 122.3 | 080 | 26.7 |
| October | 482 | 195.8 | 14.31 | 113.2 | 090 | 17.7 |
| November | 293 | 125.6 | 9.99 | 78.5 | 080 | 25.0 |
| December | 287 | 209.7 | 12.71 | 83.4 | 010 | 27.1 |
| Mean/Total | 2151 | 1773.5 | 13.07 | 1153.6 | 080 | 22.6 |
| Normal* | 1228.8 § | 1948.1 | 14.46 | 1528.8 | 080 | 22.6 |
| Station | Hong Kong International Aiport |
King's Park | Waglan Island^ | |||
The minimum pressure recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory was 992.2 hectopascals at 1625 HKT on 14 July. The maximum air temperature recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory was 34.0 degrees Celsius at 1540 HKT on 13 July. The minimum air temperature recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory was 8.0 degrees Celsius at 0543 HKT on 7 January. The maximum gust peak speed recorded at Waglan Island was 130 kilometres per hour from 140 degrees at 1706 HKT on 3 August. The maximum instantaneous rate of rainfall recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory was 409 millimetres per hour at 2110 HKT on 9 June.
# Reduced visibility refers to visibility below 8 kilometres when there is no fog, mist, or precipitation. - The visibility readings at the Hong Kong International Airport are based on hourly observations by professional meteorological observers in 2004 and before, and average readings over the 10-minute period before the clock hour of the visibility meter near the middle of the south runway from 2005 onwards. The change of the data source in 2005 is an improvement of the visibility assessment using instrumented observations following the international trend. - Before 10 October 2007, the number of hours of reduced visibility at the Hong Kong International Airport in 2005 and thereafter displayed in this web page was based on hourly visibility observations by professional meteorological observers. Since 10 October 2007, the data have been revised using the average visibility readings over the 10-minute period before the clock hour, as recorded by the visibility meter near the middle of the south runway. & The calibration factors of the pyranometer at King's Park in 2006 and 2007 have been re-computed based on the results of a regional instrument comparison in Asia in 2007. The readings of total global solar radiation at King's Park in 2006 and 2007 displayed in this web page before 13 June 2008 have been revised on 13 June 2008 using the new calibration factors. * 1961-1990 Climatological Normal, unless otherwise specified § 1997-2005 Mean value ^ 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 |