The year 2006 was the sixth warmest on record globally and the eighth warmest since Hong Kong records began in 1884, the Observatory says.

The year saw an annual mean temperature of 23.5 degrees Celsius, a half degree higher than normal. With the northeast monsoon weaker than normal over the Mainland, October's monthly mean temperature of 26.4 degrees Celsius equalled the record for October set in 1983. November's mean of 23.3 degrees Celsius also broke the record of 23.2 degrees Celsius set in 1998.

It was a wet 2006, with the annual rainfall of 2,627.8 millimetres 19% above normal. The extra rainfall was mainly due to an active trough of low pressure over the South China Coast in May, the combined effect of an active southwesterly and severe tropical storm Bilis in July, and a tropical depression in September.

A total of 26 tropical cyclones formed over the western North Pacific and the South China Sea last year, while one tropical cyclone formed over the central part of the North Pacific and crossed the International Date Line into the western North Pacific. In the past nine years, with the exception of 2004, the annual number of tropical cyclones in this ocean basin has been less than the annual average of 31. Seven tropical cyclones affected Hong Kong last year, which was near normal.