Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Mainly attributable to the rain associated with broad troughs of low pressure, the active southerly airstream and tropical cyclones Maysak and Noul, the weather of Hong Kong was much gloomier and wetter than usual in July 2026. The total sunshine duration in the month was 122.2 hours, about 38 per cent below the normal of 197.3 hours, and was the lowest on record for July. The mean amount of cloud in the month was 81 per cent, nine percentage points above the normal of 72 per cent and one of the second highest on record for July. The total rainfall recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters in the month was 790.3 millimetres, more than double the July normal of 385.8 millimetres and the second highest on record for July. The accumulated rainfall in the first seven months of the year was 1 977.6 millimetres, about 35 per cent above the normal of 1 468.2 millimetres and the ninth highest on record for the same period. The monthly mean temperature for July 2026 was 28.7 degrees, close to the normal of 28.9 degrees.
Dominated by the subtropical ridge, apart from a few showers, local weather was mainly fine and very hot on the first day of the month. Meanwhile, Maysak formed as a tropical depression over the central part of the South China Sea in the morning and then tracked towards Hainan Island. The Observatory issued the Standby Signal No. 1 in the morning of July 2, the first tropical cyclone warning signal of the year. Maysak skirted past Hainan the next day and intensified into a severe tropical storm over Beibu Wan on July 4. Maysak moved into inland of Guangxi on July 5 and weakened gradually. While local weather was hot with sunny periods on July 2, there were also a few squally showers and thunderstorms, with more showers at night. Around 10 millimetres of rainfall were recorded over parts of the territory. Under the combined effect of Maysak and the ridge of high pressure over southeastern China, local winds were occasionally strong offshore and up to gale force on parts of high ground from July 3 to 4. The outer rainbands of Maysak also brought occasional squally showers and severe squally thunderstorms on these two days. Violent gusts of about 100 and 90 kilometres per hour associated with severe squally thunderstorms were once recorded at Green Island and Star Ferry respectively. More than 40 millimetres of rainfall were recorded over many places, and rainfall even exceeded 80 millimetres over parts of Lantau Island on these two days.
Under the influence of a broad trough of low pressure, local weather was cloudy with occasional heavy showers and squally thunderstorms on the last five days of the month. More than 150 millimetres of rainfall were recorded over most parts of the territory, and rainfall even exceeded 250 millimetres over parts of Hong Kong Island on these five days. In the midst of the downpour, the temperature at the Observatory dropped to a minimum of 23.9 degrees on the last day of the month, the lowest of the month.