THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 1983
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WETTEST FEBRUARY SINCE 1884
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LAST MONTH'S TOTAL RAINFALL WHICH AMOUNTED TO 241 MM, WAS SIX TIMES THE AVERAGE FIGURE OF 41.9 MM FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, MAKING IT THE WETTEST FEBRUARY SINCE 1884, ACCORDING TO THE MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW PUBLISHED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
THERE WAS MEASURABLE RAIN OVER 24 DAYS IN THE 28-DAY MONTH AND THIS WAS ALSO A RECORD.
AND, RAINFALL FROM JANUARY 1 TO FEBRUARY 28, TOTALLING 317.3 MM WAS YET ANOTHER RECORD FIGURE FOR A CORRESPONDING TWO-MONTH PERIOD.
FURTHERMORE, THE RAINFALL OF 121 MM RECORDED OVER THE SEVEN-DAY LUNAR NEW YEAR PERIOD MADE IT THE WETTEST LUNAR NEW YEAR IN HONG KONG SINCE 1947.
IN GENERAL, THE MONTH WAS COOLER, CLOUDIER AND MORE HUMID THAN USUAL, THE REVIEW SAID.
THE MONTH'S MEAN RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF 86 PER CENT WAS THE SIXTH HIGHEST ON RECORD AND THE TOTAL SUNSHINE DURATION OF 36.5 HOURS WAS THE EIGHTH LOWEST ON RECORD FOR FEBRUARY.
ON FEBRUARY 1, VERY HUMID CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND FOG WAS WIDESPREAD IN HONG KONG. THE LOWEST VISIBILITIES AT WAGLAN ISLAND AND AT CHEUNG CHAU WERE 100 AND 300 METRES RESPECTIVELY.
A TRIPLE-DECKER FERRY WITH MORE THAN 430 PASSENGERS ON BOARD RAN AGROUND OFF KAU YI CHAU IN THE EVENING. TWO PERSONS WERE HOSPITALISED.
EARLIER IN THE AFTERNOON, THE TEMPERATURE RECORDED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY REACHED 23.5 DEGREES CELSIUS, THE HIGHEST OF THE MONTH, A COLD FRONT PASSED THROUGH HONG KONG THE FOLLOWING MORNING, BRINGING STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS AND RAPID IMPROVEMENT IN VISIBILITY. GUSTS OF 40 KNOTS WERE RECORDED AT CHEUNG CHAU.
THE TEMPERATURE FELL DURING THE DAY ON FEBRUARY 2, AND ON THE MORNING OF FEBRUARY 3, A MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 10.3 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS RECORDED, THE LOWEST OF THE MONTH. THE WEATHER BECAME FINE AND SUNNY ON FEBRUARY 3.
/IT TURNED