296
THE ENVIRONMENT
There are three marine parks and one marine reserve covering a total area of 2 160 hectares. They comprise scenic coastal areas, seascapes and important biological habitats. Similar to country parks, marine parks are managed for the purposes of conservation, education, recreation and scientific studies. Marine parks and reserves are patrolled on a daily basis. Fishing is controlled with a permit system and is confined to local villagers and bona fide fishermen. Publicity and educational activities were organised for students and citizens during the year. A Warden Post was established in Hoi Ha Wan, providing information on marine parks to visitors. During the year, more areas were studied to assess their feasibility for designation as country or marine parks. Draft maps were prepared for the proposed designation of the Lantau North Country Park Extension and the Tung Ping Chau Marine Park in Mirs Bay.
Climate
Hong Kong's climate is sub-tropical, tending towards the temperate for nearly half the year. November and December are generally regarded as the best months of the year with pleasant breezes, plenty of sunshine and comfortable temperatures.
January and February are cloudier, with occasional cold fronts bringing in cold northerly winds. Temperatures can drop below 10 degrees Celsius in urban areas. Sub-zero temperatures and frost occur on high ground and in the New Territories infrequently.
March and April can be mild and pleasant but humid. Fog and drizzle sometimes disrupt air traffic and ferry services because of reduced visibility.
The months from May to August are hot and humid with occasional showers and thunderstorms, particularly in the morning. Afternoon temperatures often exceed 31 degrees, but at night temperatures generally remain around 26 degrees.
Hong Kong is most likely to be affected by tropical cyclones in September, although tropical cyclones of varying strength are not unusual at any time between May and November. On average, about 31 tropical cyclones form over the western North Pacific and the China Seas every year, and about half of them reach typhoon strength with maximum winds of 118 kilometres per hour or more.
When a tropical cyclone is about 700 to 1 000 kilometres southeast of Hong Kong, the weather is usually fine and exceptionally hot, but isolated thunderstorms sometimes occur in the evening. If the cyclone's centre comes closer to Hong Kong, winds will increase and rain may become heavy and widespread. The heavy rain may last a few days, and landslips and flooding sometimes cause considerably more damage than the winds.
The mean annual rainfall ranges from around 1 300 millimetres at Waglan Island to more than 3 000 millimetres around Tai Mo Shan. About 80 per cent of the rain falls between May and September. August is the wettest month with an average rainfall of 391.4 millimetres at the Hong Kong Observatory and, on average, rain falls on more than half of the days. The driest month is January with only 23.4 millimetres of rain and six rain days on average.
Severe weather phenomena in Hong Kong include tropical cyclones, strong winter and summer monsoon winds, monsoon troughs and thunderstorms with associated