THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1981
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1980 A YEAR OF WEATHER RECORDS
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1980 WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE YEAR IN WHICH THERE WERE THUNDERSTORMS AND HAILSTORMS IN FEBRUARY, A LONG HOT DRY SPELL IN JUNE, AND STRONG DESTRUCTIVE TYPHOONS WHICH FORTUNATELY DID NOT COME CLOSE TO HONG KONG TO CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE.
ACCORDING TO THE 1980 WEATHER SUMMARY ISSUED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY, THUNDERSTORMS IN FEBRUARY ARE RARE IN HONG KONG AND HAVE NOT OCCURRED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY SINCE 1966.
HOWEVER THERE WERE SUCH STORMS ON FOUR OF THE LAST SIX DAYS OF FEBRUARY LAST YEAR.
THE STORMS ON THE EARLY MORNING OF FEBRUARY 27 WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ARRIVAL OF A COLD FRONT COUPLED WITH PERTURBATIONS IN THE UPPER WESTERLY WINDS. THEY WERE ACCOMPANIED BY VIOLENT NORTHWESTERLY SQUALLS. A CHINESE PASSENGER FERRY, THE SHUGUANG NO. 401, CAPSIZED ON THE RIVER TAN JIANG ABOUT 80 NAUTICAL MILES WEST OF HONG KONG.
ON THE SAME DAY, HAIL, WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN RECORDED IN FEBRUARY BEFORE, WAS REPORTED BY A NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THE KWAI CHUNG AND REPULSE BAY AREAS.
HAIL WAS AGAIN REPORTED ON MARCH 5 AND 6. THIS SET A NEW RECORD OF THREE HAILSTORMS IN NINE DAYS.
ON MARCH 5, RESIDENTS IN YUEN LONG, KAM TIN, TUEN MUN, TSUEN WAN, TAI MO SHAN AND TAI PO REPORTED HAIL BETWEEN 12.05 PM AND 12.45 PM. THE BIGGEST HAILSTONES MEASURED ABOUT 30 MM IN DIAMETER. ABOUT 400 HECTARES OF CROPS, REPRESENTING 12 PER CENT OF HONG KONG'S TOTAL VEGETABLE PRODUCTION, WERE DAMAGED BY THE HAIL. IT WAS REPORTED AGAIN SHORTLY AFTER 5 AM ON MARCH 6 AT KAM TIN, LAM TSUEN AND YUEN CHAU TSAI.
THE HOT SPELL IN JUNE WAS UNPRECEDENTED SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1884: MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE ABOVE 33.0 DEGREES CELSIUS EVERY DAY BETWEEN JUNE 17 AND 24 AND ABOVE 34.0 DEGREES CELSIUS BETWEEN JUNE 19 AND 22.
THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE MONTH WAS JUNE 22 WHEN THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE REACHED 34.8 DEGREES CELSIUS THE SECOND HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR THE MONTH, THE HIGHEST BEING 35.6 DEGREES RECORDED ON JUNE 1, 1963.
JUNE SET ANOTHER RECORD ONLY 12 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE RAIN AMOUNTING TO ONLY 150.9 MM, 306.6 MM SHORT OF NORMAL.
TROPICAL CYCLONES BEGAN TO AFFECT THE WEATHER OF HONG KONG IN MAY WITH SEVERE TROPICAL STORM GEORGIA PASSING ABOUT 90 NAUTICAL MILES TO THE EAST-SOUTHEAST ON MAY 23. GALES WERE EXPERIENCED OFFSHORE AND ON HILL TOPS BUT GEORGIA DID NOT BRING MUCH RAIN.
SEVERE TROPICAL STORM HERBERT WAS THE ONLY TROPICAL CYCLONE OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DURING JUNE. HERBERT PASSED ABOUT 300' NAUTICAL MILES FROM HONG KONG ON JUNE 28 AND ONLY BROUGHT SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
THERE WERE