A dry and sunny January
With a dry northeast monsoon affecting Hong Kong for most of the time during the month, January 2026 was much drier and sunnier than usual. In all, 3.2 millimetres of rainfall were recorded during the month, only about 10 per cent of the normal of 33.2 millimetres for a January. The monthly mean relative humidity of 63 per cent was 11 per cent below the normal of 74 per cent, and the ninth lowest on record for January. The monthly total sunshine duration amounted to 216.1 hours, about 48 per cent above the normal of 145.8 hours. The month was also warmer than usual, with a mean temperature of 17.5 degrees, 1.0 degree above the normal of 16.5 degrees. The monthly mean maximum temperature of 20.3 degrees was 1.6 degrees above the normal of 18.7 degrees and one of the eighth highest on record.
Under the influence of the dry northeast monsoon, the weather in Hong Kong was fine during the first five days of the month, with cold mornings on January 2 and 3. With the arrival of an intense replenishment of the winter monsoon on the night of January 5, local winds strengthened from the north overnight. The local weather remained fine with cold mornings over most parts of the territory from January 6 to 10. The temperatures at the Observatory fell to a minimum of 10.9 degrees on the morning of January 7, the lowest of the month. It was also very dry during the day from January 7 to 11. The relative humidity recorded at the Observatory once fell to 17 per cent on the afternoon of January 8, the lowest on record in January since the establishment of the automatic weather station at the Observatory's Headquarters in 1984. Under clear skies and relatively weak winds, radiation cooling was significant over inland areas. There were frost reports over parts of the northeastern New Territories on the mornings from January 8 to 10.
With the setting in of a fresh to strong easterly airstream on January 12, the local weather was mainly cloudy in the morning but turned fine in the afternoon. With the moderation of the easterly airstream the next day, winds became weak and there was haze locally. Under the influence of the dry northeast monsoon, apart from one or two showers on the morning of January 15 and some haze that night, the local weather remained fine from January 14 to 19. It was also very dry during the day on January 16 and 17. With plenty of sunshine, the temperatures at the Observatory rose to a maximum of 24.8 degrees on the afternoon of January 17, the highest of the month.
Under the influence of a replenished northeast monsoon, and with a broad band of clouds covering the coast of Guangdong, the local weather turned mainly cloudy and dry from January 20 to 23 with cold mornings over most parts of the territory from January 21 to 23. With the thinning out of the band of clouds, it was dry with sunny periods during the day from January 24 to 26. With the moderation of the northeast monsoon, winds subsided later on January 26. There was some haze during the day of the next day, with the visibility in the harbour once falling below 5 000 metres. The temperatures at the Observatory rose to the month's high-level mark of 24.8 degrees again on January 27. Under the influence of weak monsoon replenishments, it was slightly cooler on the mornings of January 28 and 29. Under the influence of an easterly airstream and with a broad band of clouds covering the coast of Guangdong, the local weather was cloudy with one or two rain patches on January 29 and 30. A northeast monsoon replenishment affected southern China on the last day of the month, and the local weather became cooler gradually with a few rain patches and relatively low visibility.
One tropical cyclone occurred over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific during January 2026.
Details of issuance and cancellation of various warnings/signals for the month are summarised in Table 1. Monthly meteorological figures and departures from normal for January are tabulated in Table 2.
Source: AI-found images
