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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1978
A WARMER AND DRIER SEPTEMBER
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THE WEATHER IN SEPTEMBER WAS WARMER AND DRIER THAN USUAL WITH THE TOTAL RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH AMOUNTING TO ABOUT 272 MM WHICH IS 18 PER CENT BELOW NORMAL, ACCORDING TO THE MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY ISSUED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY.
THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL FROM THE BEGINNING OF 1978 UP TO THE END OF SEPTEMBER STOOD AT 2,020.5 MM COMPARED WITH THE NORMAL FIGURE OF 2,075.1 MM FOR THE SAME PERIOD.
DURING THE MONTH A TOTAL OF SEVEN TROPICAL CYCLONES DEVELOPED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA, FOR TWO OF THEM - SEVERE TROPICAL STORM KIT AND TYPHOON LOLA - TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE HOISTED IN HONG KONG.
APART FROM SOME THUNDERSTORMS ON THE NIGHT OF SEPTEMBER 7, THE FIRST NINE DAYS OF THE MONTH WERE MAINLY FINE AND HOT. A WEAK COLD FRONT PASSED HONG KONG EARLY ON SEPTEMBER 10 AND THERE WERE SOME THUNDERSTORMS AND FRESHENING NORTHERLY WINDS.
WEATHER IN THE FOLLOWING EIGHT DAYS WERE AGAIN FINE AND HOT WITH THE TEMPERATURE RISING TO A MAXIMUM OF 33.3 DEGREES ON SEPTEMBER 15, THE HIGHEST RECORDED IN THE MONTH.
ANOTHER COLD FRONT PASSED HONG KONG EARLY ON SEPTEMBER 19 AND FRESH WINDS WERE EXPERIENCED OFF SHORE AND ON HILL TOPS. DUE TO THE NORTHEAST MONSOON OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF SOUTH CHINA SEA, WINDS IN HONG KONG REMAINED FRESH EASTERLY WITH ASSOCIATED SCATTERED SHOWERS AND SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE NEXT TWO DAYS.
THE WEATHER IMPROVED ON SEPTEMBER 22. HOWEVER, SHOWERS BEGAN TO SET IN THE FOLLOWING EVENING AS SEVERE TROPICAL STORM KIT MOVED ACROSS THE SOUTH CHINA SEA. FREQUENT SHOWERS WITH OCCASIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WERE EXPERIENCED FROM SEPTEMBER 24 UNTIL THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 26, WHEN THE HEAVIEST DOWNPOUR FOR THE MONTH OCCURRED WITH 30.8 MM OF RAINFALL RECORDED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY BETWEEN 4 A.M. AND 5 A.M.
STRONG WINDS WERE EXPERIENCED OFF SHORE ON SEPTEMBER 24 AND PERSISTED UNTIL THE FOLLOWING MORNING. HOWEVER, WINDS IN URBAN AREAS REMAINED MODERATE OR FRESH.
THE WEATHER WAS MAINLY FINE ON SEPTEMBER 27 AND 28. WHEN TYPHOON LOLA MOVED ACROSS THE SOUTH CHINA SEA TOWARDS HAINAN ISLAND, THE WEATHER TURNED CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS ON SEPTEMBER 29.
THE SHOWERS BECAME HEAVY AND SQUALLY THE FOLLOWING DAY, WHEN CONDITIONS BECAME COOLER AND TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO A MINIMUM OF 23.4 DEGREES, THE LOWEST RECORDED IN THE MONTH.
DURING THE MONTH ONE AIRCRAFT WAS DIVERTED FROM HONG KONG DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH TYPHOON LOLA, A FIRE DANGER WARNING WAS EFFECTIVE ON SEPTEMBER 23 AND 24 AND THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS WERE ISSUED ON NINE DAYS OF THE MONTH.
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