November was cooler than usual with a mean temperature of 20.5 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degrees below normal, the Hong Kong Observatory says.

November 17 was the first cold day with daily minimum temperature of 12 degrees or below - the earliest winter since 1981.

The total rainfall of 60.4mm was 72% above normal. The accumulated rainfall since January 1 was 2,132.1mm, 9% below normal.

The month started with a fine and hot day, while a cold front over northern Guangdong moved across the south China coast that evening. The intense northeast monsoon brought windy, dry and cool weather with minimum temperatures falling below 20 degrees November 2 to 4. As the monsoon weakened it became warmer with sunny periods in the following three days.

With a warm maritime airstream over the south China coast the weather turned mainly cloudy with a few light rain patches November 8 to 11. Another cold front moved across Hong Kong November 12, bringing occasional rain. The northeast monsoon behind it brought noticeably cooler weather with some rain for the next three days.

An intense surge of northeast monsoon reached the south China coast November 16. Locally it was rainy in the morning and the temperature started to fall significantly during the day. Winds strengthened November 17 and the weather became cold. The temperature fell to a minimum of 9.7 degrees on November 18, the month's lowest. With the northeast monsoon persisting, local weather remained cold and dry for the following three days.

With the northeast monsoon's moderation, temperatures started to rise gradually on November 22 and the weather remained mainly fine November 23 to 28. A weak refill of the monsoon reached the south China coast November 29 and brought slightly cooler weather for the last two days of the month.