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FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1987
JULY RAINFALL ABOVE NORMAL
JULY 1987 WAS CHARACTERISED BY A SHOWERY START, A MID-MONTH DRY SPELL AND MOST OF ALL, BY THE EPISODE OF TORRENTIAL RAIN BETWEEN JULY 22 AND 30 WHEN FREQUENT THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED FOR NINE CONSECUTIVE DAYS.
MOISTURE-LADEN SUMMER MONSOON, ENHANCED BY A STATIONARY
ACROSS SOUTH CHINA WAS THE MANIFEST CAUSE.
TROUGH
AT ITS CRESCENDO, FROM JULY 28 ΤΟ 30, THE ACTIVE MONSOON BROUGHT TO HONG KONG DAILY RAINFALL OF OVER 80 MM FOR THRER DAYS RUNNING, A RECORD FOR JULY.
THE RAIN BOOSTED THE MONTH'S TOTAL TO 618. 1 MM,
ALMOST TWICE THE JULY AVERAGE OF 316.8 MM. THE RAINFALL FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR TO JULY TOTALLED 1,845 MM, WHICH IS SOME 41 PER CENT ABOVE NORMAL.
THE FIRST SIX DAYS OF THE MONTH WERE BASICALLY SHOWERY BUT THERE WERE ALSO INTERMITTENT SUNSHINE DURING THIS PERIOD WITH MOIST SURFACE SOUTHERLIES THE DOMINANT WEATHER FEATURE.
BY JULY 7, SHOWERS TURNED THUNDERY RESPONDING TO AN UPPER ATMOSPHERE DISTURBANCE WHICH LASTED UNTIL JULY 9. WEATHER IMPROVED ON JULY 10 TO HERALD PROLONGED PERIODS OF SUNSHINE.
FINE, SUNNY AND
TO
HOT WEATHER PREVAILED FROM JULY 11 15. TEMPERATURE ROSE TO A MAXIMUM OF 34.2 DEGREES CELSIUS ON THE AFTERNOON OF JULY 13, THE HIGHEST SO FAR THIS YEAR.
BETWEEN JULY 16 AND 19, SHOWERS RETURNED, AT TIMES THUNDERY BUT GENERALLY INTERSPERSED WITH SUNSHINE. ON JULY 20 AND 21 WEATHER TURNED MAINLY FINE.
MEANWHILE, A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE FORMED OVER CENTRAL CHINA. AS THIS TROUGH APPROACHED THE SOUTH CHINA COAST ON JULY 22, THE EFFECT OF THE ACTIVE SOUTHWEST MONSOON HEIGHTENED OVER HONG KONG.
WEATHER RAPIDLY DETERIORATED WITH OMINOUS SKIES, FREQUENT THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAIN. NEAR DELUGE CONDITIONS RESULTED IN SEVEN CASES OF FLOODING IN KOWLOON AND LANDSLIPS IN KENNEDY TOWN, DIAMOND HILL AND SAU MAU PING.
AND MONSOON
THUNDERSTORMS AND SHOWERS WERE MORE SCATTERED ON JULY 23 24, BUT ONLY BRIEFLY SO, AS ANOTHER BURST OF THE SEASONABLE ARRIVED ON JULY 25 ACCOMPANIED BY SOME VIOLENT SQUALLS,
/DURING JULY ................