SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 1980
TWO HAILSTORMS IN MARCH *****
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FEATURE OF THE WEATHER LAST MONTH WAS THE HAILSTORMS ON MARCH 5 AND 6, ACCORDING TO THE MONTHLY WEATHER REPORT RELEASED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY (THURSDAY).
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME HAIL WAS REPORTED ON TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS SINCE 1940 AND WITH THE EARLIER HAILSTORM ON FEBRUARY 27. A NEW RECORD WAS SET OF THREE HAILSTORMS IN NINE DAYS.
MARCH WAS WARMER, CLOUDIER, MORE FOGGY AND HUMID THAN USUAL.
TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTED TO 76.9 MM, WHICH WAS 27.6 MM MORE THAN NORMAL. MOST OF THIS FELL ON MARCH 6 WHEN A TOTAL OF 73.2 MM WAS RECORDED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY.
DURING THE MONTH, THERE WERE ONLY 80.3 HOURS OF SUNSHINE WHICH WAS 26 HOURS LESS THAN AVERAGE.
COASTAL FOG PERSISTED FOR NINE DAYS FROM MARCH 1 TO 9. THIS LONG PERIOD OF FOGGY DAYS AT WAGLAN ISLAND WAS ANOTHER RECORD SINCE 1953. FOG WAS ALSO REPORTED INSIDE THE HARBOUR ON SIX OF THESE DAYS.
THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH WAS MISTY WITH FOG PATCHES OVERNIGHT. TEMPERATURES FELL TO THE MONTH'S MINIMUM OF 14.9 DEGREES CELSIUS ON MARCH 2 ON THE ARRIVAL OF AN EASTERLY SURGE.
FOGGY CONDITIONS WITH OCCASIONAL RAIN AND DRIZZLE PERSISTED WITHIN THE HARBOUR UNTIL THE MORNING OF MARCH 5. A 3 139-TON CONTAINER SHIP RAN AGROUND IN THICK FOG AT LEI YUE MUN ON MARCH 4.
HAIL ACCOMPANIED THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT AT NOON ON MARCH 5 BRINGING THE NUMBER OF HAILSTORMS OBSERVED IN HONG KONG SINCE 1940 TO EIGHT, THE BIGGEST HAILSTONES MEASURED 30 MM IN DIAMETER.
ON THE EARLY MORNING OF MARCH 6 HAIL WAS AGAIN REPORTED AND IT WAS CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAIN. WIDESPREAD FLOODING WAS REPORTED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE HARBOUR.
FOGGY CONDITIONS RETURNED OVERNIGHT ON MARCH 6. VISIBILITY WAS REDUCED TO 200 METRES AT THE AIRPORT ON THE MORNING OF MARCH 7.
IN THE AFTERNOON, THE FOG INSIDE THE HARBOUR CLEARED AND TEMPERATURES ROSÉ RAPIDLY TO 26.7 DEGREES CELSIUS, THE HIGHEST IN THE MONTH. FOG RETURNED ON THE NIGHT OF MARCH 8.
THE ARRIVAL OF A COLD FRONT ON MARCH 9 CLEARED THE FOG AND BROUGHT DRIER AND COOLER AIR FROM THE MAINLAND, FROM MARCH 10 TO 16, THE WEATHER WAS DULL AND GLOOMY WITH SOME LIGHT RAIN ON THE FIRST THREE DAYS.
ANOTHER COLD FRONT PASSED THROUGH HONG KONG ON MARCH 14 AND THE MONTH'S MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 14.9 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS RECORDED AGAIN ON MARCH 15.
APART FROM A CLOUDY DAY ON MARCH 19, THE WEATHER WAS MAINLY FINE WITH SUNNY PERIODS BETWEEN MARCH 17 AND 22.
/ANOTHER SURGE