Royal - HKU Libraries - The University of Hong Kong

ong Kong's climate is sub-tropical, tending towardsI temperate for nearly half the year, and the recordedouter limits are not, generally speaking, extreme.It can, however, be Hot: the highest temperaturerecorded at the Observatory was 36.1°C on 19 August 1900.It can be Cold: the lowest reading was 0°C on 18 January1893 (at the Observatory; lower temperatures have beennoted in the New Territories - minus 3.1°C at Sek Kong inJanuary 1955 - and at higher elevations).It can be Wet: 1982 was the wettest year on record, with3 247.5 mm of rain at the Observatory, 46 per cent abovethe average annual fall of 2 224.7 mm.It can be Dry: 1963 saw only 901 mm of rain at theObservatory, by far the lowest on record. In the same year,Waglan Island had only 430 mm.It can be Violent: Typhoon Wanda on 1 September 1962brought a wind gust at Tate's Cairn of 154 knots.It can be Windy: the long-term average number oftyphoons causing gales in Hong Kong is a little over one ayear, but 1964 brought an unprecedented five typhoons -Viola (May), Ida (August), Ruby (September), Sally(September) and Dot (October).It can be Sunny: in 1963, Hong Kong enjoyed 2 470 hoursof sunshine, 458 hours more than average.*^Meteorological statistics are interesting in themselves, but it must beremembered that they are no more than long-term averages from ascientific discipline which is ~ probably more than any other - subject tounpredictable variations.For example, while this book was in production, Hong Kongexperienced its most unusual January-March weather since recordsbegan. The period is usually dry and sunny, but the first three months of1983 brought a total of 745.3 mm of rain, more than six times the averageof 123.6mm.1983 rainfall (mm) Average (mm)January 76.3 26.9February 241 41.9March 428 54.888