3 February 2026

With dry northeast monsoon affecting Hong Kong for most of the time in the month, January 2026 was much drier and sunnier than usual. 3.2 millimetres of rainfall were recorded in the month, only about 10 percent of the normal of 33.2 millimetres in the month. The monthly mean relative humidity of 63 percent was 11 percent below the normal of 74 percent and the ninth lowest on record for January. The monthly total sunshine duration amounted to 216.1 hours, about 48 percent above the normal of 145.8 hours. The month was also warmer than usual with the 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 on the first five days of the month, with cold mornings on 2 – 3 January. With the arrival of an intense replenishment of the winter monsoon on the night of 5 January, local winds strengthened from the north overnight. The local weather remained fine with cold mornings over most parts of the territory on 6 – 10 January. The temperatures at the Observatory fell to a minimum of 10.9 degrees on the morning of 7 January, the lowest of the month. It was also very dry during the day on 7 – 11 January. The relative humidity recorded at the Observatory once fell to 17 percent on the afternoon of 8 January, 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 of 8 – 10 January.

With the setting in of a fresh to strong easterly airstream on 12 January, 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 15 January and some haze that night, the local weather remained fine on 14 – 19 January. It was also very dry during the day on 16 – 17 January. With plenty of sunshine, the temperatures at the Observatory rose to a maximum of 24.8 degrees on the afternoon of 17 January, the highest of the month.

Under the influence of a replenishment of the northeast monsoon and with a broad band of clouds covering the coast of Guangdong, the local weather turned mainly cloudy and dry on 20 – 23 January with cold mornings over most parts of the territory on 21 – 23 January. With the thinning out of the band of clouds, it was dry with sunny periods during the day on 24 – 26 January. With the moderation of the northeast monsoon, winds subsided later on 26 January. There was some haze during the day the next day, with the visibility in the harbour once falling below 5000 metres. The temperatures at the Observatory rose to the month’s highest of 24.8 degrees again on 27 January. Under the influence of weak replenishments of the monsoon, it was slightly cooler on the mornings of 28 – 29 January. 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 29 – 30 January. A replenishment of the northeast monsoon affected southern China on the last day of the month, 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 in January 2026.