February was warmer and sunnier than usual, with a mean temperature of 17.7 degrees Celsius, 1.8 degrees above normal and the 10th highest for the month on record. The total duration of bright sunshine was 123.2 hours, 25.5 hours above normal.

Beset by hazy weather, the number of hours of reduced visibility at the airport reached 365 hours, about 54% of the time and the highest since 1997. Monthly total rainfall was 37.7mm, 10.3mm below normal.

Under the influence of a weak northeast monsoon, it was mainly fine for the first few days of February. The weather turned cool and cloudy on the 4th when a cold front moved across the south China coast. Clouds dispersed and there were sunny periods the following day.

There was plenty of sunshine from February 6 to 10. Under light wind conditions it was hazy on the 11th and 12th with visibility generally falling below 4,000 metres. Easterly winds strengthened later and cleared the haze.

A broad band of cloud covered southern China and brought some rain on the 13th and 14th. A maritime airstream arrived the next morning and it was foggy with visibility dropping below 1,000 metres inside the harbour. The fog and clouds dispersed later during the day and it was warm in the afternoon sunshine.

Rain patches

February 16 saw warm and misty conditions and temperatures rose to 25.3 degrees, the month's highest. A cold front then crossed the south China coast bringing clouds and some rain the following day. It was rather cool in the next two days.

Another cold front reached the coast of Guangdong on the 23rd, bringing cloudy weather with rain patches in the following two days. The northeast monsoon strengthened on the 26th. It remained windy and cool with rain patches the next day.

Accompanied by rain, the strong northerlies brought the temperature down to 9.7 degrees on the 28th, the month's lowest.