Published: 17:25, March 3, 2026 | Updated: 17:57, March 3, 2026
HK experiences its warmest winter on record
By Danny Xu

This Feb 15, 2026, photo taken from near the Peak shows the Hong Kong skyline. (SHAMIM ASHRAF / CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong experienced its warmest winter on record from December 2025 to February 2026, with a mean temperature of 19.3 degrees Celsius, 2.0 degrees above normal, the Hong Kong Observatory said on Tuesday.

The HKO said in a statement that the mean maximum temperature of 21.9 °C and the mean minimum temperature of 17.3 °C were also the highest and the second-highest on record for the same period.

There were only five cold days this winter, one of the third-lowest on record, it added.

Additionally, Hong Kong had an exceptionally warm February, due to the northeast monsoon over southern China generally being weaker than normal for most of the month, according to the HKO.

The HKO said that the monthly mean temperature was 20.1°C, which is 3.0 degrees above the normal average and ranks as the second-highest on record for February.

The monthly mean maximum temperature reached 22.9 °C, while the monthly mean minimum temperature was 18.1 °C, both of which are the third-highest on record for the month of February.

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The maximum temperature recorded at the Observatory during the month was 26.9 °C on February 15, while the minimum temperature was 22.0 °C on February 16, marking the highest temperature recorded for Chinese New Year's Eve, the HKO added.

“The temperature at the Observatory further rose to a maximum of 27.9 °C in the afternoon, the highest of the month and also the highest on record for Chinese New Year's Eve.”

The HKO said last month was also slightly wetter than usual, with a total rainfall of 41.6 millimeters, about 7 percent above the normal of 38 millimeters, mainly attributed to the rainfall brought by a trough of low pressure on the last day of the month.

However, the accumulated rainfall during the first two months of the year was 44.8 millimeters, about 38 percent below the normal of 71.9 millimeters for the same period, it said.