NO
SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 1978
RAINFALL WAS AGAIN BELOW AVERAGE IN THE FOLLOWING THREE MONTHS WHICH WERE MUCH HOTTER THAN USUAL. ON THE AFTERNOON OF AUGUST 24, THE TEMPERATURE ROSE TO A MAXIMUM OF 34.9 DEGREES CELSIUS WHICH WAS THE HIGHEST RECORDED IN THE YEAR.
TWENTY-ONE TROPICAL CYCLONES WERE REPORTED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DURING THE YEAR, AND TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE HOISTED ON EIGHT OCCASIONS IN HONG KONG.
THE FIRST TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNAL WENT UP ON JUNE 16 WHEN TROPICAL STORM RUTH PASSED ABOUT 200 MILES TO THE EAST OF HONG KONG. IN JULY, STORM SIGNALS WERE HOISTED FOR THREE TROPICAL CYCLONES AND TWO OF THEM CAUSED HEAVY SQUALLY SHOWERS AND STRONG WINDS IN HONG KONG.
THE SIGNALS WERE ALSO HOISTED FOR TROPICAL STORM AMY IN AUGUST.
UNLIKE THE PREVIOUS MONTHS, RAINFALL IN SEPTEMBER WAS ABOUT 50 PER CENT ABOVE AVERAGE. FIVE TROPICAL CYCLONES DEVELOPED OVER THE NORTH-WESTERN PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DURING THE MONTH AND LOCAL SIGNALS WERE HOISTED FOR THREE OF THEM. TROPICAL STORM CARLA, THE WETTEST TROPICAL CYCLONE OF THE YEAR, PASSED ABOUT 240 MILES SOUTH OF HONG KONG ON SEPTEMBER 3 AND AS SHE MOVED OVER VIETNAM BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 4 AND 6, AN ACTIVE RAINBAND STAYED NEAR HONG KONG BRINGING 268.4 MM OF RAINFALL.
FROM SEPTEMBER 16 TO 22, TYPHOON DINAH STAYED OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND THE STANDBY NO. 1 SIGNAL REMAINED HOISTED FOR A RECORD 124 HOURS AND 40 MINUTES. ON SEPTEMBER 24, SEVERE TROPICAL STORM FREDA MOVED RAPIDLY ACROSS THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND PASSED WITHIN 80 MILES OF HONG KONG.
IT WAS THE ONLY TROPICAL CYCLONE FOR WHICH GALE OR STORM SIGNALS WERE HOISTED DURING THE YEAR. ALTHOUGH NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS REPORTED, ALL PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES AND AIR TRAFFIC WERE DISRUPTED AND 37 CASUALTIES WERE REPORTED.
OCTOBER WAS EXCEPTIONALLY WET WITH RAINFALL NEARLY DOUBLE THE AVERAGE FOR THE MONTH AND PARTICULARLY HEAVY RAIN WAS EXPERIENCED ON OCTOBER 26 WITH 51.7 MM OF RAINFALL RECORDED BETWEEN 11 A.M. AND NOON. STRONG MONSOON SIGNAL WAS HOISTED FOR ABOUT NINE HOURS ON OCTOBER 11 BECAUSE OF STRONG EASTERLY WINDS
DUE TO THE PERSISTENCE OF THE CONTINENTAL ANTICYCLONE OVER CHINA, NOVEMBER WAS SUNNIER, SLIGHTLY COOLER AND MUCH DRIER THAN USUAL. THERE WERE ONLY THREE DAYS WITH MEASURABLE RAINFALL AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY AND THE HUMIDITY WAS VERY LOW.
DECEMBER WAS SUNNY MILD AND DRY. THE MONTH WAS ABOUT TWO DEGREES CELSIUS WARMER THAN USUAL MAKING IT THE WARMEST DECEMBER SINCE 1968.
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