THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 1982
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LESS RAINFALL IN JULY
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THE RAINFALL IN JULY WAS 296.2 MM, OR 20.6 MM BELOW NORMAL, ACCORDING TO THE MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY RELEASED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY.
HOWEVER, THE TOTAL RAINFALL OF 1 649,2 MM FROM JANUARY TO JULY WAS 26 PER CENT ABOVE NORMAL,
JULY 29 EXPERIENCED A MAXIMUM OF 34.8 DEGREES CELSIUS, THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH AND THE FOURTH HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR JULY.
DURING THE MONTH, THREE TROPICAL CYCLONES - TROPICAL STORM TESS, SEVERE TROPICAL STORM WINONA AND TYPHOON ANDY -- CAME WITHIN 400 NAUTICAL MILES OF HONG KONG, BUT NONE OF THEM CAUSED ANY SERIOUS DAMAGE. SIGNAL NO. 3 WAS THE HIGHEST RAISED FOR EACH.
AFTER PASSING 50 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHEAST OF HONG KONG ON JULY 1, TESS MOVED AWAY TOWARDS THE EAST AND DISSIPATED NEAR TAIWAN IN THE MORNING OF JULY 2. BUT A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE CONTINUED TILL JULY 6 AND BROUGHT WIDESPREAD THUNDERY SHOWERS, WHICH ACCOUNTED FOR MORE THAN HALF OF THE MONTH'S RAINFALL IN HONG KONG.
A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE FROM THE PACIFIC PERSISTED OVER SOUTH CHINA FROM JULY 8 TO 15, RESULTING IN A SPELL OF FINE AND HOT WEATHER WITH A FEW SHOWERS.
ON JULY 16, SEVERE TROPICAL STORM WINONA CAME WITHIN 200 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHWEST OF HONG KONG. A MAXIMUM GUST PEAK SPEED OF 50 KNOTS WAS RECORDED AT TATE'S CAIRN.
WINONA LANDED OVER LEIZHOU PENINSULA IN THE MORNING OF JULY 17, AND THE WEATHER WAS GENERALLY FINE AGAIN UNTIL JULY 21.
FROM JULY 22 TO 26 THE SOUTHWEST MONSOON PREVAILED OVER
HONG KONG, WITH SOME HEAVY SHOWERS ON THE FIRST DAY,
TEMPERATURES OF OVER 33 DEGREES CELSIUS WERE RECORDED FROM JULY 27 TO 29, AS TYPHOON ANDY APPROACHED TAIWAN.
/CH JULY