November 2024 was characterised by successive strikes of tropical cyclones Yinxing, Toraji and Man-yi at the end of Hong Kong's typhoon season, necessitating the issuance of tropical cyclone warning signals for these three episodes, the first time in November since 1946, the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) said today.

With a stronger than normal cyclonic flow in the lower atmosphere over the coast of southern China, the month was also cloudier and wetter than usual, the HKO added.

The mean amount of cloud in November was 71%, around 13% above the norm. The monthly total rainfall recorded was 194.1mm, about five times the November norm and the second highest on record for the month, just after the 224.2mm recorded in November 1914.

Despite the rather gloomy and rainy conditions, November this year was warmer than usual with a mean temperature of 23 degrees Celsius, 0.8 degrees above normal and one of the ninth highest on record for November.

Together with the higher than usual temperatures in September and October, this autumn was much warmer than usual. The mean temperature of 26.5 degrees Celsius and mean minimum temperature of 24.5 degrees Celsius were both the highest on record for the same period, while the mean maximum temperature of 29.2 degrees Celsius was one of the highest on record for the same period.

Five tropical cyclones occurred over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific in November.