Climate of Hong Kong

The climate of Hong Kong is sub-tropical remaining temperate for almost half of the year. It belongs to Group C of the Köppen climate classification scheme.

November and December experiences pleasant breezes, plenty of sunshine and comfortable temperatures. This is supposed to be the best months of the year in Hong Kong. January and February are cloudy with occasional cold fronts followed by dry northerly winds. The temperatures can drop up to 100C in the urban areas. March and April are also very pleasant although there are occasional spells of high humidity. Fog and drizzle can be particularly troublesome on high ground, which is exposed to the southeast. This may affect the air traffic and ferry services occasionally because of reduced visibility. The months from May to August are hot and humid with occasional showers and thunderstorms, particularly during the mornings. The temperatures in the afternoon often exceed 310C whereas night temperatures generally remain around 260C with high humidity. July experiences a fine dry spell, which generally last for 1-2 weeks and sometimes even longer.

Hong Kong is most affected by tropical cyclones during the month of September. Although gales are not unusual at any time between May and November, yet on average, about 31 tropical cyclones form in the western North Pacific or China Seas every year. Almost half of these cyclones reach typhoon strength (maximum winds of 118 km per hour or more). When a tropical cyclone is about 700 to 1000 km southeast of Hong Kong, the weather is usually fine and exceptionally hot, but isolated thunderstorms sometimes occur in the evenings. If the centre comes closer to Hong Kong, winds will increase and rain can become heavy and widespread.

The mean annual rainfall ranges from around 1300 mm at Waglan Island to more than 3000 mm near Tai Mo Shan. About 80% of the rain falls between May and September. The August is the wettest month, when rain occurs about four days out of seven and the average monthly rainfall is 391.4 mms. January is the driest month, when the monthly average is only 23.4 mm and rain falls only about six days a month.

Although Hong Kong is an all-year-round destination, yet the most popular time to visit the country is from the mid-September until February.