5
UN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1978
WEATHER IN AUGUST - CLOUDIER AND LESS SUNNY
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WEATHER IN AUGUST WAS CLOUDIER AND LESS SUNNY THAN USUAL BUT THE MONTH'S RAINFALL WAS BELOW NORMAL, ACCORDING TO THE MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY ISSUED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY.
THE TOTAL RAINFALL RECORDED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY DURING THE MONTH AMOUNTED TO ONLY 230.8 MM OR 45 PER CENT BELOW AVERAGE. HOWEVER, THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL FROM THE BEGINNING OF 1978 TO THE END OF AUGUST STOOD AT 1,748.7 MM, ALMOST THE SAME AS THE NORMAL FIGURE FOR THE SAME PERIOD.
DURING THE MONTH, EIGHT TROPICAL CYCLONES DEVELOPED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND FOR TWO OF THEM - TROPICAL STORM BONNIE AND SEVERE TROPICAL STORM ELAINE TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE HOISTED.
TROPICAL STORM BONNIE DEVELOPED ABOUT 240 MILES TO THE SOUTH OF HONG KONG ON AUGUST 9 AND DISSIPATED OVER NORTH VIETNAM ON THE NIGHT OF AUGUST 11. APART FROM A PERIOD OF STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN, NO DAMAGE TO PROPERTY WAS REPORTED DURING ITS PASSAGE.
SEVERE TROPICAL STORM ELAINE FIRST DEVELOPED AS A TROPICAL DEPRESSION ABOUT 270 MILES NORTHEAST OF MANILA EARLY ON AUGUST 23. THE FOLLOWING MORNING IT ENTERED THE SOUTH CHINA SEA WHERE IT BEGAN TO INTENSIFY AND BECAME A SEVERE TROPICAL STORM ON AUGUST 25.
IT THEN MOVED CLOSE TO HONG KONG AND FINALLY DEGENERATED INTO AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER NORTH VIETNAM ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 28.
ALTHOUGH GALE FORCE WINDS WERE EXPERIENCED IN HONG KONG DURING THE PASSAGE OF ELAINE, LITTLE DAMAGE TO PROPERTY WAS REPORTED.
THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH WAS FINE AND HOT BUT WHEN THE SOUTHWEST MONSOON BECAME ESTABLISHED OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ON AUGUST 2, THE WEATHER TURNED CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS.
THE WEATHER IMPROVED ON AUGUST 6 AND THE NEXT TWO DAYS WERE MAINLY FINE APART FROM SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS.
DUE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF TROPICAL STORM BONNIE, THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 9 AND THERE WERE SHOWERS WHICH LASTED UNTIL THE EARLY MORNING OF AUGUST 12.
THE WEATHER IMPROVED RAPIDLY ON AUGUST 12 AND THE FOLLOWING SIX DAYS WERE FINE AND HOT WITH TEMPERATURE RISING TO A MAXIMUM OF 33.6 DEGREES ON THE AFTERNOON OF AUGUST 15, THE HIGHEST RECORDED IN THE MONTH,
FROM AUGUST 19 TO 23 AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE PERSISTED OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND THE WEATHER IN HONG KONG BECAME CLOUDY WITH OCCASIONAL HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
/IT WAS