FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1977
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JUNE SUNNIER, DRIER AND MUCH WARMER THAN USUAL ******
JUNE WAS SUNNIER, DRIER AND MUCH WARMER THAN USUAL.
THE MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 28.8 DEGREES CELSIUS RECORDED DURING THE MONTH EQUALLED THAT OF JUNE 1938 - THE HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR JUNE. THE MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 26.9 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS ALSO THE HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR THAT MONTH.
ON THE AFTERNOONS OF JUNE 12 AND 13, TEMPERATURES ROSE TO A MAXIMUM OF 32.9 DEGREES CELSIUS WHICH WAS THE HIGHEST OF THE MONTH.
THE MONTHLY TOTAL RAINFALL OF 258.4 MM WAS ABOUT 36 PER CENT LESS THAN AVERAGE AND THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL SINCE JANUARY 1 AMOUNTED TO 628.5 MM WHICH WAS ALSO 36 PER CENT BELOW NORMAL.
DURING THE FIRST EIGHT DAYS OF THE MONTH, A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE REMAINED CLOSE TO HONG KONG EITHER ALONG THE SOUTH CHINA COAST OR ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA. THE SUMMER MONSOON WAS ACTIVE AND THE WEATHER DURING THIS PERIOD WAS MAINLY CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.
AFTER JUNE 9, A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE GRADUALLY EXTENDED WESTWARDS TO COVER THE SOUTH CHINA COAST AND APART FROM A FEW MORNING SHOWERS, CONDITIONS DURING THE NEXT FIVE DAYS BECAME MAINLY FINE, SUNNY AND HOT.
THE WEATHER IN HONG KONG, HOWEVER, WAS RELATIVELY UNAFFECTED BY THE PASSAGE OF TROPICAL STORM RUTH, THE FIRST TROPICAL CYCLONE OF THE YEAR. THE CONDITIONS DURING THE TIME IT FIRST DEVELOPED OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ON JUNE 14 REMAINED GENERALLY FINE AND HOT WITH SOME MORNING SHOWERS UNTIL JUNE 19.
ON JUNE 20 A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPED NEAR THE SOUTH CHINA COAST STRENGTHENING THE MONSOON OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.
DURING THE FOLLOWING SIX DAYS, THE WEATHER IN HONG KONG BECAME CLOUDY OR OVERCAST WITH OCCASIONAL HEAVY SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS, RAIN WAS PARTICULARLY HEAVY ON JUNE 23 WHEN THE TROUGH WAS ABOUT 50 MILES NORTH OF HONG KONG AND A TOTAL RAINFALL OF 91.9 MM WAS RECORDED.
TOWARDS THE END OF THE MONTH THE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE MOVED NORTHWARD AND WEAKENED OVER CENTRAL CHINA. AS A RESULT, CONDITIONS BECAME MAINLY FINE WITH LONG SUNNY PERIODS DURING THE DAY ALTHOUGH THERE WERE STILL A FEW ISOLATED HEAVY SHOWERS.
DURING THE MONTH, NO AIRCRAFT WERE DIVERTED FROM HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND NO FIRE DANGER WARNINGS WERE ISSUED. THUNDERSTORM OR THUNDERSTORM AND HEAVY RAIN WARNINGS WERE ISSUED ON 13 DIFFERENT DAYS.
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