TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1982
J
6
HONG KONG HIT BY ITS FIRST TORNADO IN JUNE
***
THE MOST UNUSUAL WEATHER EVENT LAST MONTH WAS THE TORNADO ON JUNE 2, THE FIRST EVER TO HAVE STRUCK HONG KONG SINCE WEATHER RECORDS BEGAN IN 1884, ACCORDING TO THE MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY RELEASED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY (TUESDAY).
JUNE WAS DRIER AND SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN USUAL. THE MONTH'S TOTAL RAINFALL OF 205.9 MM WAS ABOUT HALF THE NORMAL FIGURE. ACCUMULATED RAINFALL FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THE YEAR AMOUNTED TO 1 353 MM, WHICH WAS 36 PER CENT ABOVE NORMAL.
THE MONTH WAS ALSO CLOUDIER AND LESS SUNNY THAN USUAL.
TYPHOON RUBY AND TROPICAL STORMS SKIP AND TESS - DEVELOPED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DURING THE MONTH.
THREE TROPICAL CYCLONES
RUBY ORIGINATED NEAR THE CAROLINE ISLANDS ON JUNE 21 AND BECAME EXTRATROPICAL EAST OF JAPAN ON JUNE 27.
SKIP FORMED EAST OF THE RYUKYUS ON JUNE 29 AND MOVED AWAY INTO THE PACIFIC.
TESS FORMED OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ON JUNE 27. IT RECURVED NEAR HAINAN TO MOVE EAST-NORTHEAST ROUGHLY PARALLEL TO THE SOUTH CHINA COAST AND CAUSED TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS TO BE HOISTED IN HONG KONG FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR.
IN HONG KONG, THE WEATHER WAS CLOUDY WITH SOME SHOWERS ON JUNE 1. SQUALLY THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED ON JUNE 2 AND MAXIMUM GUSTS OF 52 KNOTS WERE REPORTED AT TSIM BEI TSUI.
A TORNADO SWEPT ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN PARTS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES BETWEEN ABOUT 10.30 AM AND 11 AM ON JUNE 2, KILLING TWO MEN AND INJURING FIVE OTHERS.
FROM THE TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION AND DESCRIPTIONS BY EYE-WITNESSES, IT APPEARED THAT THE TORNADO CROSSED PAK NAI, LO UK TSUEN, WANG CHAU, HUNG MO KIU AND DISSIPATED NEAR TAI KONG PO.
IN LO UK TSUEN, EIGHT HOUSES WERE DAMAGED WITH THE ROOFS OF FOUR BEING CARRIED AWAY, AND TREES WERE UPROOTED OR BROKEN, CAUSING INJURIES TO TWO PEOPLE.
AT A CONSTRUCTION SITE IN WANG CHAU, SEVERAL PEOPLE IN A WOODEN HUT WERE HURLED INTO THE AIR AND THROWN BACK TO THE GROUND. A 56-YEAR-OLD CARPENTER WAS KILLED AND TWO PEOPLE WERE INJURED.
IN HUNG MO KIU, RESIDENTS REPORTED SWIRLING WOODEN PLANKS, THIGS AND DEBRIS. A WOODEN HUT NEAR A FISH POND WAS THROWN INTO THE AIR AND COMPLETELY SHATTERED. A 49-YEAR-OLD MAN WAS KILLED, BUT HIS WIFE AND 9-MONTH OLD BABY GIRL WERE SAVED. ONE OF THE THREE YOUTHS FISHING AT THE TIME WAS INJURED.
WINDS TURNED