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TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 1985
A WATERSPOUT WAS SIGHTED OVER THE WEST LAMMA CHANNEL AROUND 2.30 PM ON JUNE 24. TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE DISPLAYED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE YEAR DURING THE APPROACH OF SEVERE TROPICAL STORM WYNNE WHICH BROUGHT ONLY SLIGHT DAMAGE TO HONG KONG.
WITH 301.4 HOURS OF BRIGHT SUNSHINE, JULY WAS THE SUNNIEST
THE MONTH WAS DRY AND MONTH EVER SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1884. THE 125.9 MM OF RAINFALL RANKED JULY 1984 AS THE FOURTH DRIEST JULY ON RECORD.
TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE AGAIN DISPLAYED DURING THE APPROACH OF SEVERE TROPICAL STORM BETTY WHICH CAUSED ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO CROPS IN HONG KONG.
AUGUST WAS LESS SUNNY THAN AVERAGE, WITH ONLY 162.7 HOURS OF BRIGHT SUNSHINE, 43.3 HOURS SHORT OF THE NORMAL VALUE. TWO SPELLS OF WIDESPREAD THUNDERY SHOWERS CAUSED LANDSLIPS AND FLOODING IN MANY PLACES IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH AND TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE DISPLAYED ON TWO OCCASIONS DURING SEVERE
NO SEVERE TROPICAL STORM GERALD AND SEVERE TROPICAL STORM JUNE. DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY GERALD AND JUNE IN HONG KONG.
SEPTEMBER WAS DRIER THAN USUAL WITH A TOTAL RAINFALL OF 211.3 MM, ABOUT 34 PER CENT BELOW NORMAL. MORE THAN HALF OF THE MONTH'S RAINFALL FELL ON SEPTEMBER 1 AND 2 DUE TO A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE LYING CLOSE TO THE SOUTH CHINA COAST.
ONE GURKHA SOLDIER WAS KILLED AND THREE OTHERS WERE INJURED BY LIGHTNING ON SEPTEMBER 18 WHILE THEY WERE ON AN EXERCISE NEAR PA, SIN RANGE. TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE HOISTED DURING THE APPROACH OF TYPHOON IKE WHICH BROUGHT ONLY SLIGHT DAMAGE TO HONG KONG.
FINE WEATHER PREVAILED DURING OCTOBER. HOWEVER, THE MONTH'S
MOST TOTAL RAINFALL OF 167.1 MM WAS 38 PER CENT ABOVE NORMAL. OF THE RAIN WAS RECORDED ON OCTOBER 10 AND 11 WHEN HEAVY SHOWERS OCCURRED. AN HOURLY RAINFALL OF 67.2 MM WAS RECORDED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY FROM 11 PM TO MIDNIGHT ON OCTOBER 10. RAINFALL WAS THE SECOND HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR OCTOBER.
THIS
THE TOTAL RAINFALL RECORDED IN NOVEMBER WAS ONLY 4.5 MM. REPRESENTING A MERE 13 PER CENT OF THE NORMAL VALUE OF 34.7 MM. UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE WINTER MONSOON, THE LATTER PART OF THE MONTH WAS RATHER DRY AND THE DAILY MEAN RELATIVE HUMIDITY FROM NOVEMBER 18 TO 30 WAS 70 PER CENT OR LESS EVERY DAY.
DECEMBER WAS CLOUDIER THAN USUAL. THE TOTAL DURATION OF BRIGHT SUNSHINE AMOUNTED TO ONLY 111.9 HOURS, 67.4 HOURS BELOW NORMAL. TEMPERATURES FELL AS THE WINTER MONSOON INTENSIFIED AND THE MONTH'S MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 7.7 DEGREES C WAS RECORDED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY ON DECEMBER 29.
MINIMUM TEMPERATURES OF -2.0 DEGREES C AND 1.1 DEGREES C WERE RECORDED AT TAI MO SHAN AND TATE'S CAIRN RESPECTIVELY ON THE SAME DAY BUT NO REPORTS OF HOAR FROST WERE RECEIVED. AN ESTIMATE OF 30 TONNES OF TILAPIA, A COMMON FISH REARED IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, DIED IN THE COLD WEATHER.
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