With a stronger than usual subtropical ridge dominating over southern China for most of the month, July was exceptionally hot in the city, the Hong Kong Observatory said today.

The mean temperature for the month was 30.1 degrees Celsius, while the mean maximum temperature was 33 degrees Celsius and the mean minimum was 28 degrees Celsius. All the figures were the third highest on record for July.

The month was also much drier than usual with only 175.2mm of rainfall, about 45% of the normal amount. The accumulated rainfall recorded in the first seven months of the year was 1,016.5mm, about 31% below normal for the same period.

Dominated by anticyclones aloft, apart from isolated showers, the weather was generally fine and very hot on July 5 till July 14, and from July 20 to 25. It was extremely hot in the afternoon on July 13, 14, 24 and 25, with maximum temperatures reaching 35 degrees or above in many places.

Under the influence of the outer subsiding air of tropical cyclone Doksuri, the weather was generally fine and extremely hot on July 26 and 27 as well. The maximum temperature at the Observatory soared to 36.1 degrees on the afternoon of July 27, the highest of the month and one of the highest monthly absolute maximum temperatures on record for July.