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SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 1978
FEBRUARY CLOUDIER AND DRIER
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FEBRUARY WAS CLOUDIER BUT SLIGHTLY WARMER AND DRIER THAN USUAL. ACCORDING TO THE MONTHLY WEATHER ROUND-UP PUBLISHED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY.
IN THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY THE AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVER WAS 79 PER CENT, OR EIGHT PER CENT ABOVE NORMAL WHILE THE TOTAL RAINFALL WAS 16.2 MM, ONLY 36 PER CENT OF THE AVERAGE FOR FEBRUARY.
THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH WAS 24.9 DEGREES CELSIUS RECORDED ON FEBRUARY 9 AND 10, AND THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE OF 7.3 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS RECORDED ON FEBRUARY 18.
DUE TO THE DRY CONDITIONS, FIRE DANGER WARNINGS WERE IN FORCE ON 18 DAYS OF THE MONTH.
DURING THE MONTH ONLY ONE AIRCRAFT WAS DIVERTED FROM HONG KONG DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER.
THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY WAS COLD AND RAINY BUT CONDITIONS BEGAN TO IMPROVE ON FEBRUARY 2 AND THE FOLLOWING EIGHT DAYS WERE MAINLY CLOUDY WITH SUNNY PERIODS.
TEMPERATURES AND HUMIDITIES ROSE PROGRESSIVELY AND FROM FEBRUARY 6 TO 10, A WARM AND HUMID AIRSTREAM COVERED SOUTH CHINA AND CONDITIONS IN HONG KONG BECAME MISTY, WITH FOG AT SEA.
DURING THIS PERIOD VISIBILITIES WERE REDUCED TO A MINIMUM OF 100 METRES AT WAGLAN ISLAND, 300 METRES AT CHEUNG CHAU AND 1,200 METRES AT THE AIRPORT.
COOLER AIR ARRIVED HONG KONG EARLY ON FEBRUARY 11 AND SOON CLEARED THE MIST AND FOG, BUT THE WEATHER BECAME OVERCAST AND DULL WITH LIGHT RAIN DURING THE FOLLOWING FIVE DAYS.
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A COLD FRONT PASSED HONG KONG ON FEBRUARY 12 CAUSING A FURTHER FALL IN TEMPERATURE. STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS WERE EXPERIENCED ON FEBRUARY 15 AND 16 WITH THE STRONG MONSOON SIGNAL HOISTED FOR 15 HOURS AND 45 MINUTES.
THE WEATHER IMPROVED ON FEBRUARY 17 AND CONDITIONS WERE VERY DRY UNTIL FEBRUARY 22 WHEN A DEEP UPPER WESTERLY TROUGH APPROACHED HONG KONG AND BROUGHT PERIODS OF RAI.
IT AGAIN IMPROVED ON FEBRUARY 25 AND THE REST OF THE MONTH WAS FINE AND MILD.
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