MONDAY, MARCH 10, 1980
WEATHER IN FEBRUARY LESS SUNNY
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LAST MONTH (FEBRUARY) WAS LESS SUNNY THAN NORMAL WITH RAINFALL BEING 9.6 MM ABOVE AVERAGE, ACCORDING TO THE MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY RELEASED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY (MONDAY).
THE 54.5 MM OF RAIN RECORDED IN THE MONTH ALSO ENDED THE DRIEST FOUR-MONTH PERIOD EVER EXPERIENCED IN HONG KONG.
THE FIRST 10 DAYS OF THE MONTH WERE VERY COLD WITH DAILY MINIMUM TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 5.5 TO 11.4 DEGREES CELSIUS.
THE COLD SPELL WHICH STARTED ON JANUARY 30 LASTED FOR 12 DAYS DURING WHICH THE MEAN TEMPERATURE WAS 9.9 DEGREES CELSIUS, MAKING IT THE COLDEST 12-DAY PERIOD SINCE JANUARY 1900.
THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 5.5 DEGREES CELSIUS WHICH WAS RECORDED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY ON THE MORNING OF FEBRUARY 9. IT WAS ALSO THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED SINCE DECEMBER 14, 1975.
THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURES RECORDED ON THE SAME MORNING AT TAL MO SHAN AND TATE'S CAIRN WERE -1,0 AND 0.2 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY.
THE WEATHER BEGAN TO IMPROVE ON FEBRUARY 11 AND THE FOLLOWING NINE DAYS WERE FINE AND SUNNY EXCEPT FEBRUARY 17 WHICH WAS MAINLY CLOUDY WITH SOME LIGHT RAIN, A SHORT PERIOD OF STRONG EASTERLY WINDS WAS ALSO EXPERIENCED OFF SHORE EARLY ON THAT DAY.
TEMPERATURES ROSE PROGRESSIVELY FROM FEBRUARY 11 AND ON THE AFTERNOON OF FEBRUARY 19 THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY RECORDED A MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 23.3 DEGREES CELSIUS WHICH WAS THE HIGHEST IN THE MONTH.
A WEAK COLD FRONT WAS NEAR HONG KONG ON FEBRUARY 21 AND CONDITIONS BECAME CLOUDY WITH A FEW PATCHES OF RAIN. THE FRONT DISSIPATED LATER IN THE EVENING BUT THE FOLLOWING DAY REMAINED CLOUDY WITH RAIN.
PERTURBATIONS IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE GAVE RISE TO A PERIOD OF UNSETTLED WEATHER FROM FEBRUARY 23 TO 27. EXCEPT FEBRUARY 24, THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED EVERY DAY DURING THIS PERIOD.
THUNDERSTORMS IN FEBRUARY ARE RELATIVELY RARE IN HONG KONG AND THE LAST OCCASION WHEN THUNDERSTORMS WERE RECORDED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY WAS IN 1966. FURTHERMORE, THUNDERSTORMS ON THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN FEBRUARY WERE UNPRECEDENTED IN HỒNG KONG,
THE THUNDERSTORMS ON THE EARLY MORNING OF FEBRUARY 27 WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ARRIVAL OF A COLD FRONT COUPLED WITH PERTURBATIONS IN THE UPPER WESTERLY WIND FLOW.
WINDS INCREASED