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MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 1984
MANY NEW WEATHER RECORDS SET
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THE YEAR 1983 WAS ONE OF NEW RECORDS AND CONTRASTS, ACCORDING TO THE ANNUAL WEATHER REPORT JUST RELEASED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY.
RAINFALL WAS ABOVE NORMAL EVERY MONTH FOR THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR, WITH THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL OF 916.4 MM FROM JANUARY TO APRIL BREAKING ALL PREVIOUS RECORDS FOR THE SAME PERIOD.
IN CONTRAST 1983 ENDED WITH A LONG DRY SPELL WITH NO MEASURABLE RAIN BETWEEN OCTOBER 27 AND DECEMBER 27.
THE YEAR AS A WHOLE WAS WETTER THAN NORMAL, WITH A TOTAL RAINFALL OF 2 893.8 MM RECORDED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY.
THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE TROPICAL CYCLONE OVER THE WESTERN PACIFIC UP TO ABOUT THE END OF JUNE, A RARE SITUATION WHICH LAST OCCURRED IN 1973.
BUT IN SEPTEMBER, TYPHOON ELLEN HIT HONG KONG DIRECTLY, CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE.
IN JANUARY THERE WAS 76.3 MM OF RAIN, NEARLY THREE TIMES THE AVERAGE FIGURE, BUT ONLY HALF THE NORMAL DURATION OF SUNSHINE.
THE MONTH WAS COOLER THAN USUAL, WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING BELOW 10 DEGREE CELSIUS BETWEEN JANUARY 20 AND 24. ON JANUARY 22, A MINIMUM OF 7.1 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS RECORDED AND -1.0 DEGREE CELSIUS WAS REPORTED ON TAI MO SHAN THE SAME MORNING.
THE OBSERVATORY RECORDED 241.0 MM OF RAINFALL IN FEBRUARY THE HIGHEST SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1884, AND ABOUT SIX TIMES THE AVERAGE LEVEL.
THE MONTH ALSO MARKED ANOTHER RECORD 24 DAYS, THE HIGHEST NUMBER, OF MEASURABLE RAIN.
THE MONTH WAS COOLER THAN USUAL. FOG WAS REPORTED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, RESULTING IN THE DIVERSION OF SIX AIRCRAFT FROM THE AIRPORT, AND DISRUPTIONS TO FERRY SERVICES.
ON FEBRUARY 1, A TRIPLE-DECKER FERRY WITH MORE THAN 430 PASSENGERS RAN AGROUND OFF KAU YI CHAU.
MARCH WAS THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE MONTH WITH A RECORD RAINFALL, OF 426.0 MM, COMPARED WITH AN AVERAGE OF 54.8 MM.
MOST OF THE RAIN WAS BROUGHT BY THUNDERSTORMS ON 10 DAYS, THE HIGHEST FREQUENCY FOR THE MONTH SINCE 1947. THUNDERSTORMS ON MARCH 27 ALONE BROUGHT 98.6 MM OF RAIN, MAKING IT THE WETTEST DAY FOR THE MONTH SINCE 1884.
HAIL WAS REPORTED ON MARCH 1, 2 12, 25 AND 26, MORE FREQUENT THAN EVER OBSERVED IN ANY SINGLE YEAR.
/WIDESPREAD COASTAL