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Monday, January 14, 1974
In June, both the rainfall and air temperature were close to
average. However, there was no tropical cyclone during the month and the
rain was mostly associated with passages of active troughs from the north.
Six tropical cyclones formed over the western North Pacific and
the South China. Sea in July. Of these only Typhoon 'Dot' and Tropical
Storm 'Wilda' necessitated the hoisting of Tropical Cyclone Warning Signals
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in Hong Kong.
The first tropical cyclone for the year was Tropical Storm 'Wilda'
which passed about 200 miles east of Hong Kong on July 3. Typhoon Dot
formed in the South China Sea on July 14 and passed about 12 miles to the
east of the Royal Observatory early on July 17. Gales and heavy showers
were experienced during the passage of 'Dot' and some flooding was also
reported in low-lying areas. This typhoon contributed about one-third
of the month's total rainfall which was nearly 90 per cent above average.
During August, seven tropical cyclones formed over the western
North Pacific and the South China Sea, but only three, Typhoon 'Georgia'
and Tropical Storms 'Joan' and 'Kate' affected Hong Kong. They all passed
within 180 miles to the south of Hong Kong and caused periods of strong
winds and heavy rain. The rainfall for the month was more than double the
average figuro and was the second highest on record for August. The
total rainfall from May to August and from January to August were both
the highest ever recorded. On August 30, the Strong Monsoon Signal was
hoisted for four hours to warn of strong easterly winds.
The abnormally