October was unseasonably warm, with both the monthly mean temperature of 26.4 degrees Celsius and the mean daily minimum temperature of 24.7 degrees Celsius  equalling records set in 1983, the Hong Kong Observatory says.

The month was also dry, with only 31.2mm of rainfall, about 78% below normal. The accumulated rainfall since the beginning of the year is 2,498.3mm, about 16% above normal. October was also hazy, with 546 hours of reduced visibility observed at the airport, 422 hours higher than normal.

Under the influence of the northeast monsoon, it was cloudy with light rain patches on October 1 and 2. A ridge of high pressure over southeastern China brought generally fine weather to the city on October 3. The weather remained generally fine the next five days.

Clouds and rain

The weather turned cloudy with some rain on October 9 when a cloud band covered southern China. The clouds thinned out and there were sunny periods the next day. It was sunny from October 11 to 13.

An easterly airstream affected the south China coast on October 14, bringing a few showers to the city. The weather stayed cloudy with some showers in the ensuing two days. With a ridge of high pressure building up over southeastern China, the weather improved on October 17. Apart from some hazy episodes, mainly fine weather continued for the following six days.

A fresh northeast monsoon reached the south China coast on October 24. The weather turned cloudy with a few rain patches. Sunshine returned the next day. Under the influence of a continental airstream, it was mainly fine with some haze the rest of the month.