COMMUNICATIONS
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the beta-activity of fallout, airborne particles near the ground, rain- fall and ordinary tap water.
Other Activities. Astronomical tables for use in the Colony are issued each year in the form of a booklet. Details of research undertaken at the observatory are given in chapter 18.
THE YEAR'S WEATHER
Hong Kong had the hottest summer recorded since observations were begun at the Royal Observatory in 1884 and there was a record of 2,395.4 hours of sunshine. At the same time, in spite of some very heavy rainfall during June, total rainfall for the year was well below normal.
During January 'the weather was rather cool and dry but ex- ceptionally fine. The amount of sunshine recorded broke all pre- vious records for January and there was very little rain. February was warmer and sunnier than normal. There was a short spell between the 9th and 11th February when fog caused disruption of aircraft and shipping schedules, and there were strong winds on 13th February when the black ball was hoisted for 15 hours. Rainfall during March was negligible. There were a few patches of fog between the 19th and 21st, but it was the sunniest March since 1929. The first half of April was unsettled, wet and foggy, but during the second half of the month and most of May the weather became warmer and the maximum temperature on 9th May was the highest ever recorded in May. Rainfall during March, April and May was seriously below normal in spite of a torrential downpour which caused local flooding on 26th May.
June brought a marked change in the weather and nearly 20 inches of rain were recorded, mostly between the 6th and the 19th of the month. Temperatures were about normal and no tropical storms affected the Colony. There was a remarkably hot spell during July and August, and both months broke all previous records for highest mean temperatures. July broke all previous records for sunshine, which averaged more than nine hours a day. Although there were a few thunderstorms on the 21st and 22nd July, rainfall for the month was less than half the normal value. The number one local storm signal was hoisted twice during July -first at 10.45 p.m. on 10th July when a tropical depression was crossing the China Sea, and later at 10.45 a.m. on 20th July when