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HONG KONG,CHINA - LAST month was the hottest February in Hong Kong since records began in 1884 and the latest sign of the city's long-term warming trend, meteorologists said on Sunday.
The monthly mean temperature was 20.5 degrees Celsius (68.9 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest yet for the particular month, the Hong Kong Observatory said in a statement.
The average was 4.2 degrees higher than was normal for the years between 1971 and 2000.
It also recorded February's highest maximum daily temperature, when the thermometer hit 28.3 degrees on February 25.
The observatory said the warmer weather, which saw the city's residents abandon their usual winter coats and sweaters, was caused by a weak northeast monsoon, which meant the cold north air seldom reached southern China.
The high temperature reflected the long-term warming trend in Hong Kong, which has seen monthly mean temperatures in February rise by about 0.4 degrees a decade over the last 50 years, the statement said.
Mr KW Li, chief experimental officer at the Observatory, said that the long-term trend was partly the result of global warming, which climate scientists have said has been caused by the increased burning of fossil fuels.
He also said the city's urbanisation over the past few decades was a factor in the increase. -- AFP
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