the atmosphere dry. After the New Year the sky is more often clouded, though rainfall remains slight; in March and April long spells of dull overcast weather may occur. Warm south-easterly winds. may temporarily displace the cool north-east monsoon during this period, and under these conditions fog and low cloud are common. From May until September the air reaching Hong Kong has generally travelled from warm tropical seas to the east and south of the Colony; the weather is persistently hot and humid, and often cloudy and showery with occasional thunderstorms. The summer is the rainy season, three-quarters of the average annual rainfall of 84.26 inches (2140.4 mm.) falling during the period May to September.
The mean monthly temperature varies from 59°F in February to 82°F in July, the average for the year being 72°F. The temperature rarely rises above 95°F, or falls below 40°F. The mean relative humidity exceeds 80% from March until August, but in the early winter it may fall as low as 20%. The average monthly duration of sunshine ranges from 94 hours in March to 217 hours in October.
Hong Kong is liable to be affected by typhoons from July to October, although they are sometimes experienced before and after this period. Spells of bad weather, heavy rain and strong winds normally occur several times in each summer owing to the passage of typhoons or tropical storms at varying distances from the Colony. A typhoon whose centre passes over or near Hong Kong may be accompanied by winds of hurricane force, resulting in widespread damage; sixteen such disasters have occurred in the last 67 years, one of the worst being on 2nd September 1937 when the wind speed reached 145 knots in a gust, and 28 steamships were stranded in and around the harbour. Although the loss of life on such occasions is now minimized by an elaborate system of warnings, there are always a number of junks and small craft which fail to reach the typhoon shelters in time.
The mean temperature for 1950 was slightly above normal, accumulated rainfall being generally rather below normal. Records were broken in February and March when the maximum tem- peratures recorded at the Royal Observatory, 79-6°F. and 844°F. respectively, were the highest for those months since observations: began in 1884. Being single observations, these two temperatures were not likely to produce as noticeable an effect for the general public as would, for example, a record-breaking mean temperature.
A slow-moving typhoon approached the Colony during the first week of October and gale force winds were experienced, but fortunately, just at the time it was beginning to constitute a real threat to Hong Kong, it began to fill up rapidly and move away westward towards Hainan.
On 24th November a tropical storm followed a very unusual course and approached the Colony from the SW. Strong south- easterly winds were experienced, but the storm was a small one and filled up rapidly after the centre had entered the coast a little to the west of Macao.
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