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TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 1977
FEBRUARY
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COLDER, SUNNIER AND DRIER THAN USUAL
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FEBRUARY WAS COLDER AND MUCH SUNNIER AND DRIER THAN USUAL BECAUSE OF THE PREDOMINANCE OF AN INTENSE ANTICYCLONE OVER NORTH CHINA.
THE MEAN RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF THE MONTH - 69 PER CENT - WAS THE FOURTH LOWEST ON RECORD FOR ANY FEBRUARY WHILE THE TOTAL. RAINFALL OF 3.2 MM REPRESENTED ONLY SEVEN PER CENT OF THE AVERAGE.
THE WEATHER WAS GENERALLY COLD AND CLOUDY WITH OCCASIONAL LIGHT RAIN OR DRIZZLE DURING THE FIRST NINE DAYS OF THE MONTH.
THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE ON EACH DAY FROM JANUARY 30 TO FEBRUARY 5 WAS LOWER THAN 10 DEGREES CELSIUS AND THE MEAN DAILY TEMPERATURE FOR THIS PER FOD WAS THE LOWEST FOR ANY COLD SPELL LASTING SEVEN OR MORE DAYS IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY DURING THE PAST 30 YEARS.
THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS RECORDED ON FEBRUARY 3 WHEN IT DROPPED TO 6.8 DEGREES CELSIUS.
THE WEATHER THEN BECAME FINE AND SUNNY WITH A SIGNIFICANT FALL IN THE HUMIDITY ON FEBRUARY 10 FOLLOWING THE ARRIVAL OF A REPLENISHMENT OF COLD BUT DRY AIR FROM THE NORTH THE DAY BEFORE. TEMPERATURES ALSO FELL RAPIDLY AND THE MONTH'S LOWEST TEMPERATURE OF 6.8 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS RECORDED AGAIN IN THE MORNING OF FEBRUARY 10.
DURING THE FOLLOWING TWO WEEKS, THE WEATHER REMAINED MAINLY FINE AND SUNNY ALTHOUGH TWO WEAK COLD FRONTS PASSED THROUGH HONG KONG ON FEBRUARY 14 AND 20 AND CAUSED A SLIGHT FRESHENING OF THE WINDS FROM THE NORTH AND SOME TEMPORARY CLOUDINESS.
FOR THE LAST FIVE DAYS OF THE MONTH, WINDS TURNED TO THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST DUE TO A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE FROM AN ANT ICYCLONE OVER THE PACIFIC WHICH EXTENDED SOUTHWESTWARD TO COVER SOUTH CHINA AND THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.
AT THE SAME TIME, AIR TEMPERATURE ROSE STEADILY TO REACH A MAXIMUM OF 25.4 DEGREES CELSIUS IN THE AFTERNOON OF FEBRUARY 25, WHICH WAS THE HIGHEST OF THE MONTH.
THE HUMID AIRSTREAM FROM THE PACIFIC ALSO CAUSED WIDESPREAD FOG ALONG THE COASTAL AREAS ON FEBRUARY 26 TO 28. VISIBILITY WAS REDUCED TO 100 METRES AT WAGLAN ISLAND AND 200 METRES AT CHEUNG CHAU ON THE MORNING OF FEBRUARY 28 AND AS A RESULT, TWO AIRCRAFT WERE DIVERTED FROM THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THAT DAY.
DUE TO THE DRY CONDITIONS, FIRE DANGER WARNINGS WERE IN FORCE DURING MOST OF THE MONTH AND FROST WARNINGS WERE ISSUED ON
FEBRUARY 2.
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