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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1987
AUGUST SUNSHINE SIXTH HIGHEST ON RECORD
TWO TYPHOONS, BETTY AND CARY, BROUGHT SOME RAIN TO HONG KONG IN AUGUST AND NECESSITATED THE HOISTING OF THE STAND-BY SIGNAL NO.1.
HOWEVER, THE RAINFALL DURING THE MONTH WAS ONLY 176.3 WHICH WAS 57 PER CENT BELOW THE NORMAL AMOUNT OF 413.4 MM,
MM,
THE
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE OVER SOUTH CHINA WAS ABNORMALLY HIGH. LOCAL MEAN SEA-LEVEL PRESSURE OF 1,008.6 HPA FOR THE MONTH WAS THE HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR AUGUST.
SUNSHINE WAS QUITE ABUNDANT DURING AUGUST. THE TOTAL DURATION OF BRIGHT SUNSHINE OF 274.1 HOURS REPRESENTS THE SIXTH HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR AUGUST.
OTHER THAN A FEW BRIEF SHOWERS ON AUGUST 2, THE WEATHER FOR THE FIRST SIX DAYS OF THE MONTH WAS MAINLY FINE.
AS A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE OVER CENTRAL CHINA MIGRATED SOUTHWARDS, THE WEATHER IN HONG KONG BECAME CLOUDY ON AUGUST 8 AND REMAINED SO UNTIL THE MORNING OF AUGUST 12. HOWEVER, ONLY A TRACE OF RAINFALL WAS RECORDED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY DURING THIS PERIOD.
BETWEEN AUGUST 12 AND 13, THE WEATHER IN HONG KONG WAS WHILE TYPHOON BETTY WAS CAUSING A MAJOR HAVOC IN THE PHILIPPINES.
FINE
WITH BETTY ENTERING THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DURING THE EARLY MORNING OF AUGUST 14, WINDS AT WAGLAN ISLAND FRESHENED FROM THE NORTHEAST. THE STAND-BY SIGNAL NO.1 WAS HOISTED AT 2.45 PM ON AUGUST 14. DURING THE AFTERNOON, SHOWERS FROM RAINBANDS ASSOCIATED WITH BETTY BEGAN TO AFFECT HONG KONG AND WINDS WITHIN THE HARBOUR ALSO INCREASED.
SOME OF THE SHOWERS WERE THUNDERY ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 15.
AS BETTY CONTINUED TO MOVE TOWARDS VIETNAM, LOCAL WINDS SUBSIDED GRADUALLY AND THE STAND-BY SIGNAL NO.1 WAS LOWERED AT NOON ON THE SAME DAY. HOWEVER, INTERMITTENT SHOWERS CONTINUED UNTIL THE MORNING OF AUGUST 17.
WEATHER BECAME FINE ON AUGUST 18 AND PERSISTED THROUGH THE NEXT DAY. MEANWHILE, TYPHOON CARY ENTERED THE SOUTH CHINA SEA EARLY ON AUGUST 19 AFTER CROSSING THE PHILIPPINES AND POSED A THREAT TO HONG KONG. THE STAND-BY SIGNAL NO.1 WAS HOISTED AT 11 PM THAT NIGHT.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED THE NEXT DAY AND LOCAL WINDS STRENGTHENED TO OVER 30 KM/H.
CARY MOVED ON A COURSE SIMILAR TO THAT OF BETTY AND WAS NO LONGER THREATENING HONG KONG BY AUGUST 21.
THE STAND-BY
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