With 11 months warmer than usual, 2019 was the warmest year for Hong Kong since records began in 1884, the Hong Kong Observatory announced today.

The observatory said the year’s annual mean temperature of 24.5 degrees Celsius was 1.2 degrees above normal.

The annual mean maximum temperature of 27.1 degrees Celsius and the annual mean minimum temperature of 22.6 degrees Celsius were also the highest on record.

The highest temperature recorded last year was 35.1 degrees Celsius on August 9, the 14th highest temperature since 1884.

There were 46 hot nights and 33 very hot days in 2019, the highest and joint fourth highest on record.

The lowest temperature recorded in 2019 was 11.4 degrees Celsius on January 1, the highest annual absolute minimum temperature on record. There was only one cold day in the year, which is 16.1 days less than normal and the lowest annual number of cold days since 1884.

Annual rainfall was 2,396.2mm, near the normal of 2,398.5mm, with three red rainstorm warnings issued in the year.

Last year was a thundery one with thunderstorms reported on 59 days, which was 20.4 days above average and the joint highest since records began in 1947.

A total of 28 tropical cyclones occurred over the western North Pacific and the South China Sea in 2019, less than the long-term average of about 30.

Sixteen tropical cyclones reached typhoon intensity or above during the year, slightly more than the long-term average of about 15, and seven of them reached super typhoon intensity.

Five tropical cyclones necessitated the issuance of tropical cyclone warning signals, slightly less than the long-term average of about six a year.