With the northeast monsoon over the south China coast generally weaker than normal for most of the time in the month, January 2022 was much warmer than usual in Hong Kong. The monthly mean minimum temperature and monthly mean temperature were 16.5 degrees and 18.0 degrees, which were 1.9 degrees and 1.5 degrees above their corresponding normals and respectively the fourth and fifth highest on record for January. The month was also drier than usual with a total rainfall of 4.1 millimetres, about 12 per cent of the normal of 33.2mm.
 
     Under the influence of the northeast monsoon, the weather was mainly cloudy with sunny intervals in the afternoon on the first day of January. With clouds thinning out, local weather became generally fine on January 2 and remained so till January 8, except for a few rain patches in the morning of January 5. With plenty of sunshine, the temperature recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) rose to a maximum of 23.6 degrees in the afternoons of January 5 and 6, the highest of the month.
 
     As a cloud band spread over southern China, local weather became cloudier on January 9 and 10. With the arrival of a replenishment of the northeast monsoon, it was cooler with a few rain patches in the morning of January 11 and the weather turned fine during the day. Affected by the cloud band over the coast of Guangdong, the weather became mainly cloudy from January 12 to 13. With the setting in of a fresh to strong easterly airstream, it was cloudy with rather low visibility in some areas on January 14 and the next morning. The easterly airstream moderated gradually from January 15 to 16 and there were sunny periods during the day.
 
     Under the influence of the northeast monsoon and with a band of clouds covering southern China, the weather was mainly cloudy from January 17 to 18. There were a few rain patches in the morning of January 18. With the cloud band thinning out, local weather turned generally fine with cool mornings in the next two days. Under the influence of a fresh to strong easterly airstream, it was mainly cloudy with a few rain patches from January 21 to 23. Affected by the northeast monsoon, the weather remained mainly cloudy with a few rain and mist patches on January 24. With the prevalence of a fresh easterly airstream, the weather was mainly cloudy with sunny intervals and a few rain patches from January 25 to 29. It was misty on January 28. A cold front moved across the coastal areas of Guangdong in the night of January 29. Under the influence of the associated winter monsoon, the weather became cold with sunny periods on January 30. The temperature recorded at the HKO dropped to a minimum of 13.2 degrees that morning, the lowest of the month. It was cloudy and rather cool on the last day of the month.
 
     There was no tropical cyclone over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific in January 2022.
 
     Details of issuance and cancellation of various warnings/signals in January are summarised in Table 1. Monthly meteorological figures and departures from normal for January are tabulated in Table 2.

Ends/Monday, February 7, 2022
Issued at HKT 16:00

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