TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1983
TYPHOON ORCHID ORIGINATED NEAR YAP ON NOVEMBER 17 AND MOVED WEST-NORTHWEST TOWARDS THE CENTRAL PHILIPPINES. ABOUT 170 PEOPLE WERE DROWNED OR MISSING WHEN THE 500-TONNE PHILIPPINE FERRY, 'DONA CASANDRA', CAPSIZED ABOUT 400 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHEAST OF MANILA ON NOVEMBER 21. THE FERRY WAS CARRYING ABOUT 400 PEOPLE AND BOUND FOR CEBU CITY. ORCHID REMAINED SLOW-MOVING EAST OF LUZON FROM NOVEMBER 23 TO 26 AND DISSIPATED ON NOVEMBER 26.
SEVERE TROPICAL STORM PERCY FORMED NEAR NANSHA ON NOVEMBER 18 AND MOVED SOUTH-WESTWARDS AT FIRST. THE 300-TONNE SINGAPOREAN FREIGHTER, JOTUN', WAS REPORTED MISSING ON NOVEMBER 20 DURING THE STORM. PERCY LATER TURNED BACK AND MOVED EAST-NORTHEASTWARDS. IT DISSIPATED NEAR PALAWAN ON NOVEMBER 25.
A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED ON NOVEMBER 21 AND DISSIPATED ON NOVEMBER 24.
TROPICAL STORM RUTH DEVELOPED NEAR THE PHILIPPINES ON NOVEMBER 27 AND DISSIPATED EAST OF LUZON ON NOVEMBER 30.
DURING THE MONTH, NO AIRCRAFT WERE DIVERTED FROM HONG KONG DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER. THE YELLOW FIRE DANGER WARNING WAS ISSUED ON NOVEMBER 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 AND 20 WHILE THE RED FIRE DANGER WARNING WAS IN EFFECT ON NOVEMBER 1, 2, 16 TO 18 AND 22 TO 30.
THERE WERE 845 HILL FIRES, WITH MORE THAN 87 000 TREES DESTROYED, NEARLY THREE TIMES THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TREES DESTROYED FOR THE WHOLE OF LAST YEAR.
SIGNALS HOISTED DURING THE MONTH WERE AS FOLLOWS:
WEATHER SYSTEM
SIGNAL
DATE AND TIME OF HOISTING
DATE AND TIME OF LOWERING
WINTER MONSOON STRONG MONSOON
WINTER MONSOON
STRONG MONSOON
NOV 25 11.15 PM
NOV 26 11.15 PM
NOV 26 4.00PM
NOV 27
6.10AM
THE MONTH'S FIGURES AND DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL WERE:
SUNSHINE
RAINFALL
CLOUD INESS
RELATIVE HUMIDITY
MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE
MEAN TEMPERATURE
MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURE
MEAN DEW POINT
TOTAL EVAPORATION
252.2 HOURS- 60.7 HOURS ABOVE NORMAL
TRACE 34.7 MM BELOW NORMAL
25 %
- 27 % LESS THAN NORMAL
- 10 % LOWER THAN NORMAL 59 % 10 %
24.6 DEGREE C- 0.2 DEGREE C ABOVE NORMAL
21.5 DEGREE C - 0.2 DEGREE C ABOVE NORMAL
19.1 DEGREE C 0.2 DEGREE C ABOVE NORMAL
12.4 DEGREE C - 2.5 DEGREE C BELOW NORMAL
7.2 MM ABOVE NORMAL
147.9 MM
=
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 27.7 DEGREE C WAS RECORDED ON NOVEMBER 5.
MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 12.8 DEGREE C WAS RECORDED ON
NOVEMBER 27.
15