SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 1988
RAINFALL IN MAY AGAIN BELOW NORMAL
MAY WAS CLOUDIER THAN NORMAL. ALTHOUGH RAINFALL WAS RECORDED ON 26 DAYS, THE TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNT DURING THE MONTH WAS ONLY 115.2 MILLIMETRES WHICH WAS 61 PER CENT BELOW THE NORMAL AMOUNT OF 298.1 MILLIMETRES, THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY SAID IN ITS MONTHLY REPORT RELEASED TODAY (SUNDAY).
ON
FROM JANUARY TO MAY THE TOTAL RAINFALL WAS THE FIFTH LOWEST RECORD, BEING ONLY 251.1 MILLIMETRES COMPARED WITH THE NORMAL AMOUNT OF 561.1 MILLIMETRES.
THE WEATHER WAS GENERALLY CLOUDY WITH SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS FOR THE FIRST THREE DAYS OF THE MONTH. TOWARDS THE EVENING OF MAY 4, THE MOIST SOUTHWESTERLIES OVER THE SOUTH CHINA COASTAL AREAS STRENGTHENED AND AS A RESULT THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED THE NEXT MORNING.
APART FROM A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS, THE WEATHER WAS GENERALLY FINE FROM MAY 6 TO 9. SUNNY SKIES AND SOUTHERLY WINDS ON MAY 9 BROUGHT THE DAYTIME TEMPERATURE TO A MAXIMUM OF 31.7 DEGREES CELSIUS WHICH WAS THE HIGHEST FOR THE MONTH.
THE FINE WEATHER GAVE WAY TO CLOUDY SKIES TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE APPROACHED FROM THE NORTH. THE EVENING OF MAY 11 HERALDED THE ARRIVAL OF THE TROUGH IN THE VICINITY, THE RAINY WEATHER PERSISTED
ON MAY 10 AS A THUNDERSTORMS ON TROUGH. WITH THE INTO THE NEXT DAY.
TOWARDS THE EVENING OF MAY 12, A COOL EASTERLY AIRSTREAM REACHED THE SOUTH CHINA COASTAL AREAS. WINDS OFFSHORE BECAME STRONG AND THE WEATHER REMAINED OVERCAST WITH PERIODS OF RAIN.
TEMPERATURES ALSO FELL SIGNIFICANTLY BY MORE THAN EIGHT DEGREES TO 21.8 DEGREES BY THE MORNING OF MAY 13. THIS WAS ALSO THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH. WITH EASTERLY WINDS PERSISTING, SLIGHTLY COOLER, CLOUDY AND RAINY CONDITIONS CONTINUED FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
ON MAY 19, THE EASTERLIES WERE REPLACED BY SOUTHWESTERLIES AND DAYTIME TEMPERATURES AGAIN SOARED TO 30 DEGREES. THE MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS
WARM OVER ALSO
RESULTED IN SOME COASTAL FOG DURING THE DAY, WITH VISIBILITY AT
WAGLAN ISLAND DOWN TO 100-200 METRES AT TIMES.
THE APPROACH OF A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE FROM THE NORTH BROUGHT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO HONG KONG ON MAY 22. AFTER THE PASSAGE OF THE TROUGH THAT EVENING, A SLIGHTLY COOLER EASTERLY AIRSTREAM THEN REACHED THE SOUTH CHINA COASTAL AREAS, CAUSING A DROP IN TEMPERATURE AND FRESHENING OF WINDS ON MAY 23. THE WEATHER CONTINUED TO BE CLOUDY WITH OCCASIONAL RAIN.
THE EASTERLIES