6
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 1984
AUGUST LESS SUNNY
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AUGUST 1984 WAS LESS SUNNY THAN NORMAL, THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY
REPORTS.
FOLLOWING THE SUNNIEST JULY ON RECORD, ONLY 162.7 HOURS OF BRIGHT SUNSHINE WERE RECORDED LAST MONTH, 43.3 HOURS SHORT OF THE NORMAL AMOUNT FOR AUGUST.
THE MONTH'S RAINFALL, 348.8 MM, WAS ALSO ABOUT 16 PER CENT BELOW NORMAL. AND THE MONTHLY MEAN ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE OF 1 001.9 MILLIBARS WAS THE FOURTH LOWEST ON RECORD FOR AUGUST.
DURING THE MONTH, TWO TROPICAL CYCLONES - GERALD AND JUNE AFFECTED HONG KONG AND TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE HOISTED.
ON THE FIRST THREE DAYS OF THE MONTH, THE WEATHER WAS FINE APART FROM A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS. IT DETERIORATED IN THE EARLY MORNING OF AUGUST 4, AND THERE WERE WIDESPREAD THUNDERY SHOWERS, DUE TO AN ACTIVE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE TO THE SOUTH OF HONG KONG.
MINOR FLOODINGS WERE REPORTED IN MANY PLACES ON HONG KONG ISLAND INCLUDING SHAU KEI WAN, CAUSEWAY BAY, WAN CHAI AND CENTRAL DISTRICT.
THE WEATHER REMAINED UNSETTLED WITH OCCASIONAL SHOWERS UNTIL AUGUST 6, BUT BECAME FINE ON THE FOLLOWING TWO DAYS.
IT WAS FINE AND SUNNY ON AUGUST 9 DURING THE DAY, BUT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED LATER AT NIGHT AS ANOTHER TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE FORMED TO THE SOUTH OF HONG KONG. THE SHOWERS BECAME MORE FREQUENT AND WERE HEAVY AT TIMES FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS.
THERE WERE 11 REPORTS OF FLOODING ON AUGUST 11 WITH NINE IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND TWO IN KOWLOON. MINOR LANDSLIPS OCCURRED IN CHAI WAN, NORTH POINT, AND YAU TONG WHERE 20 PEOPLE HAD TO BE EVACUATED. ON AUGUST 12, A LANDSLIP IN SAU MAU PING LED TO THE EVACUATION OF 12 PEOPLE.
THE WEATHER IMPROVED LATE ON AUGUST 12 AND BECAME FINE THE FOLLOWING DAY APART FROM A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS. SCATTERED SHOWERS. THUNDERY AND SQUALLY AT TIMES, OCCURRED FROM AUGUST 14 TO 17 BUT THERE WERE ALSO SUNNY PERIODS.
AS SEVERE TROPICAL STORM GERALD MOVED WESTWARDS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA TO THE SOUTH OF HONE KONG, WINDS FRESHENED FROM THE NORTHEAST EARLY ON AUGUST 18 AND BECAME STRONG OFFSHORE LATER DURING THE DAY. THEY MODERATED IN THE MORNING OF AUGUST 19 AS GERALD MOVED FURTHER WEST.
/HOWEVER, WINDS