A warm 2022
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Sea surface temperatures of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific were persistently below normal in 2022. A La Niña event was established in March 2022 and persisted throughout the year.
In Hong Kong, with a record-breaking hot July and the warmest autumn from September to November, the weather was warmer than usual in 2022 with an annual mean temperature of 23.9 degrees, 0.4 degree above the 1991-2020 normal (Note 1) and among the sixth warmest since records began in 1884. The annual mean maximum temperature of 26.7 degrees and annual mean minimum temperature of 22.0 degrees were the fifth and one of the seventh highest on record respectively. The highest temperature recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory in the year was 36.1 degrees on 24 July, one of the third highest on record. There were 52 hot nights (Note 2) and 52 very hot days (Note 3) in Hong Kong in 2022, both ranking the second highest on record. Moreover, there were 15 days with daily maximum temperatures at the Observatory equal to or higher than 35.0 degrees in 2022, the highest on record.
The lowest temperature recorded at the Observatory in the year was 7.5 degrees on February 21. The number of cold days (Note 4) in the year was 13 days, 2.2 days less than the 1991-2020 normal.
The annual total rainfall in 2022 was 2 205.4 millimetres, about 9 per cent below the 1991-2020 normal of 2 431.2 millimetres. Two red rainstorm warnings were issued by the Observatory in the year. The number of days with thunderstorms reported in Hong Kong was 25 days in 2022, about 17 days less than the 1991-2020 normal.
A total of 27 tropical cyclones occurred over the western North Pacific and the South China Sea in 2022, less than the long-term (1961-2020) average of about 30. There were 11 tropical cyclones reaching typhoon intensity (Note 5) or above during the year, less than the long-term average of about 15, and three of them reached super typhoon intensity (with maximum 10-minute wind speed of 185 km/h or above near the centre). In Hong Kong, six tropical cyclones necessitated the issuance of tropical cyclone warning signals, near the long-term average in a year. The No. 8 Gale or Storm Signals were issued during the passages of Chaba in July, Ma-on in August and Nalgae in November.
Detailed description of the weather for individual months is available on the Monthly Weather Summary webpage:
https://www.weather.gov.hk/en/wxinfo/pastwx/mws/mws.htm.
A detailed version of the year's weather for 2022 with some significant weather events in Hong Kong is available at:
https://www.weather.gov.hk/en/wxinfo/pastwx/ywx.htm.
Note 1: Climatological normals for the reference period of 1961-1990, 1971-2000, 1981-2010 and 1991-2020 are available at: www.weather.gov.hk/en/cis/normal.htm. Climatological normals of 1991-2020 are referenced in the text unless otherwise stated.
Note 2: "Hot night" refers to the condition with the daily minimum temperature equal to or higher than 28.0 degrees.
Note 3: "Very hot day" refers to the condition with the daily maximum temperature equal to or higher than 33.0 degrees.
Note 4: "Cold day" refers to the condition with the daily minimum temperature equal to or lower than 12.0 degrees.
Note 5: Information on the classification of tropical cyclones is available at: https://www.weather.gov.hk/en/informtc/class.htm.
Ends/Monday, January 9, 2023
Issued at HKT 15:00
Issued at HKT 15:00
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