The Hong Kong Observatory confirmed on 1 November that October 2026 was the warmest October in its records, which go back to 1884. A first cool spell is forecast for next week.
The month’s mean temperature reached 27.6°C. Daytime highs averaged 30.5°C, and average lows sat at 25.8°C. All 3 figures are the highest ever logged for October.
The previous record was only a year old. In October 2025, the mean temperature reached 27.4°C and the mean minimum 25.6°C. Back in 2008, the record October mean was 26.5°C. In less than 2 decades, that benchmark has risen by more than 1 degree.
On 21 October, the Observatory issued a Very Hot Weather Warning, the latest point in any year it has done so, beating the previous record of 19 October 2024. By lunchtime that day, Yuen Long had reached 36°C.
The northeast monsoon, which usually brings cooler and drier air from the north, was weaker than normal. At the same time, an anticyclone high in the atmosphere sat over southern China, keeping skies sunny and the air warm.
El Niño also played a part. In its latest outlook, issued on 29 October, the Observatory described the current event as very strong, possibly the strongest since 1950, and expects it to peak between November and December. Long-term global warming also contributed.
Stronger winds from the northeast are forecast to reach the coast of Guangdong this week. Temperatures are then expected to fall from Monday 9 November, with urban lows of around 23°C, then 22°C on Tuesday 10 November. Parts of the New Territories, such as Ta Kwu Ling, Shek Kong and Tseung Kwan O, could dip to around 19°C.
That cool spell may be short, however. The Observatory expects November as a whole to be warmer than normal.
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