November was much warmer than usual in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Observatory said today.

The monthly mean temperature of 23.5 degrees Celsius, monthly mean maximum temperature of 26.1 degrees Celsius and monthly mean minimum temperature of 21.6 degrees Celsius were above normal and respectively the second, the third and the fourth highest on record for November.

Together with the higher than usual temperatures in September and October, the autumn of this year from September to November was also much warmer than usual.

The mean minimum temperature of 24.4 degrees Celsius, mean temperature of 26.1 degrees Celsius and mean maximum temperature of 28.8 degrees Celsius were the highest, the second and fifth highest on record for the same period.

The month was drier than usual with a total rainfall of 3.3mm, only 8% of the normal figure.

However, due to record-breaking rainstorms in September and October, the autumn of this year was exceptionally wet with a total rainfall of 1,616.4mm, the highest on record for the same period.

The accumulated rainfall this year up to November was 2,773.6mm, about 15% above the normal figure of 2,402.4mm for the same period.With plenty of sunshine, temperatures rose to a maximum of 30.7 degrees Celsius on November 6, the highest of the month. Moreover, the daily mean temperature of 27.6 degrees Celsius on that day was the highest on record for November.

With the arrival of another replenishment of the northeast monsoon on November 16, the local weather was mainly cloudy. The temperature dropped to 15.6 degrees Celsius on November 17, the lowest of the month.

There was no tropical cyclone over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific in the month.