People fend off strong winds outside the Wong Tai Sin shopping center as Typhoon Koinu nears South China's Hong Kong on Oct 8, 2023. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong experienced an exceptionally wet and much warmer autumn with the city seeing its highest total rainfall on record for the season, the Hong Kong Observatory said Monday.

Mainly due to record-breaking rainstorms in September and October, autumn was exceptionally wet with a total rainfall of 1,616.4 millimeters, the HKO said in a statement.

The accumulated rainfall this year up to November was 2,773.6 millimeters, about 15 percent above the normal figure of 2,402.4 millimeters for the same period

The accumulated rainfall this year up to November was 2,773.6 millimeters, about 15 percent above the normal figure of 2,402.4 millimeters for the same period, it added.

The Observatory said autumn was also much warmer than usual with the mean minimum temperature of 24.4 degrees Celsius, mean temperature of 26.1 C and mean maximum temperature of 28.8 C respectively being one of the highest, one of the second and fifth highest on record for the season.

It said that November was dry and much warmer than usual with the northeast monsoon over the south China coast weaker than normal for most of the month.

ALSO READ: Study: HK to see more hot days, heavier rainfall

The monthly mean temperature of 23.5 C, monthly mean maximum temperature of 26.1 C and monthly mean minimum temperature of 21.6 C were 1.3 C, 1.6 C and 1.3 C above normal and respectively one of the second, one of the third and one of the fourth highest on record for November, the HKO added.

Under the influence of a dry northeast monsoon, the weather of Hong Kong was fine and dry during the day on the first six days of the month.

With plenty of sunshine, temperatures at the Observatory rose to a maximum of 30.7 C on the afternoon of Nov 6, the highest of the month. The daily mean temperature of 27.6 C on that day was the highest on record for November, the HKO said.

The daily minimum temperature of 25.6 C on Nov 10 was also one of the highest on record for November, it added.

READ MORE: HK reviews contingency plans in wake of extreme weather

With a band of clouds covering the coast of Guangdong and under the influence of an easterly airstream, local weather turned cloudier with a few light rain patches on the last two days of November.