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THE ENVIRONMENT
between June 17 and 24 and above 34°C between June 19 and 22. The hottest day of the month was June 22 when the maximum temperature reached 34.8°C. This was the second highest temperature on record for June (the highest being 35.6°C recorded on June 1, 1963). A spell of eight consecutive days with maximum temperatures above 33°C, and four above 34°C, was unprecedented in any June since records began to be taken in 1884. The month had only 12 days with measurable rain and this was also a new record for June. The month's total rainfall of 150.9 mm (306.6 mm below normal) ranks as the tenth lowest on record for June. Severe Tropical Storm Herbert was the only tropical cyclone over the western North Pacific and the South China Sea during the month. Herbert passed-by about 300 nautical miles from Hong Kong on June 28, bringing some showers and thunderstorms but causing little damage in the territory.
July was hotter and wetter than usual. The month's total rainfall of 454.4 mm was 42 per cent above normal, while the maximum temperature of 35°C (recorded on July 10), was the highest temperature of the year. Local storm warning signals were hoisted for four tropical cyclones. One of these was Severe Tropical Storm Ida, which was closest to Hong Kong on July 11 and brought 190.8 mm of rain. Another tropical storm, south of Hong Kong, caused strong winds on July 18. The only gale signals of the year were hoisted for 13 hours 25 minutes while Hong Kong was lashed by Typhoon Joe, which passed about 190 nautical miles to the south-southwest on July 22. Typhoon Joe claimed two lives in an accident on a construction site in Kwai Chung, and one man was reported missing from a sinking junk off Aberdeen; 59 people were injured. Typhoon Joe passed over the Leizhou (Luichow) Peninsula and, according to Chinese newspapers, the typhoon was the strongest experienced in the region in 26 years. Typhoon Kim which devastated the northern Philippines on July 25, came closest to Hong Kong on July 27 but caused only slight damage.
August was hotter and drier than usual. The month's mean temperature of 28.8°C was the fourth highest on record for August and the month's total rainfall of 250 mm was 170.2 mm below average. Thunderstorms and heavy rain on August 7 resulted in serious flooding in Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung. A tropical depression passed to the southwest on August 18 without causing any damage.
September was drier and cloudier than usual. Seven tropical cyclones developed over the western North Pacific and the South China Sea during the month, but none came very close to Hong Kong. Typhoon Ruth struck Hainan Dao (Hainan Island) on September 15, reached the coast of Vietnam near Hanoi on September 16, and became the worst typhoon to hit Thanh Hoa province in 30 years. Typhoon Percy passed over the southern tip of Taiwan close to Hengchun on September 18 and crossed into China near Shantou (Swatow). The last three months of the year were all sunnier, drier and warmer than normal. There was a prolonged fine spell from September 29 until October 17. Tropical Storm Cary churned across the South China Sea between October 29 and November 2 but did not affect Hong Kong.
November's mean temperature of 22.3°C was the seventh highest since 1884. The con- tinental anticyclone dominated China throughout the month, leading to generally fine and sunny weather in Hong Kong. There was only one day (December 7), with measurable rain and the month's total rainfall was only 0.7 mm.
The Royal Observatory
The Royal Observatory is the department of the government responsible for meteorology, geophysics and related sciences. Its most important function is to provide weather