MONDAY, JUNE 6, 1977
SUNNIER AND WARMER MAY
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MAY WAS SUNNIER AND WARMER THAN USUAL WITH ITS MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 27.8 DEGREES CELSIUS RANKING THE THIRD HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR MAY AND ITS MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 31.3 DEGREES CELSIUS THE SECOND HIGHEST FOR THE MONTH SINCE 1884,
A SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE OF 296.1 MM OF RAINFALL RECORDED IN THE MONTH PUT AN END TO THE DRY CONDITIONS THAT STARTED IN NOVEMBER 1976. HOWEVER, THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL SINCE JANUARY 1 AMOUNTED TO 370.1 MM WHICH IS 36 PER CENT BELOW AVERAGE.
CONDITIONS DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF THE MONTH WERE GENERALLY FINE, SUNNY AND WARM BECAUSE OF THE INFLUENCE OF A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE FROM THE PACIFIC. THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 22.8 DEGREES CELSIUS RECORDED ON THE MORNING OF MAY 1 WAS THE LOWEST OF THE MONTH.
APART FROM A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS BROUGHT BY A COLD FRONT FROM THE NORTH ON MAY 8, THE WEATHER CONTINUED TO BE FINE AND SUNNY DURING THE NEXT SIX DAYS. ON MAY 13, TEMPERATURE ROSE TO A MAXIMUM OF 33.6 DEGREES CELSIUS AND IT WAS THE HIGHEST OF THE MONTH.
ANOTHER COLD FRONT CROSSED HONG KONG ON MAY 15 BRINGING CLOUDY AND SHOWERY CONDITIONS AND MARKING THE START OF A PROLONGED PERIOD OF UNSETTLED WEATHER WHICH PERSISTED UNTIL THE END OF THE MONTH.
DURING THIS PERIOD, AN ACTIVE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE REMAINED CLOSE TO HONG KONG AND AS A RESULT, THERE WERE FREQUENT HEAVY SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. THUNDERSTORM OR THUNDERSTORM AND HEAVY RAIN WARNINGS WERE ISSUED NEARLY EVERY DAY DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE MONTH,
NO STRONG MONSOON WARNINGS WERE ISSUED DURING THE MONTH BUT ONE AIRCRAFT WAS DIVERTED FROM THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON MAY 24 BECAUSE OF ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
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