SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 1989
6
J
1988 RAINFALL 24 PER CENT BELOW NORMAL
*
24 PER
CENT
THE TOTAL RAINFALL IN 1988 WAS 1,685 MILLIMETRES, THE NORMAL OF 2,224.7 MILLIMETRES, THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY REPORTED TODAY (SUNDAY).
BELOW
DEGREES CELSIUS AND
BOTH THE YEAR'S MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 22.8 MEAN RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF 78 PER CENT WERE THE SAME AS THE NORMAL FIGURES, THE OBSERVATORY SAID IN ITS REPORT ON THE YEAR'S WEATHER.
OF
JANUARY WAS WARM WITH LITTLE RAINFALL. THE MEAN TEMPERATURE 17.9 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS 2.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND THE MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 16.1 DEGREES WAS 2.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. BOTH WERE THE SECOND HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR JANUARY.
ALTHOUGH RAIN WAS RECORDED ON 13 DAYS. THE TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTED TO ONLY 1.0 MILLIMETRE.
CLOUDY SKIES PREVAILED MOST OF THE TIME DURING FEBRUARY, GIVING A MEAN CLOUD AMOUNT OF 81 PER CENT, WHICH WAS 10 PER CENT ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH. HOWEVER, THE TOTAL RAINFALL WAS ONLY 11.9 MILLIMETRES.
MARCH WAS A RATHER COOL AND CLOUDY MONTH. THE MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 16.8 DEGREES FOR THE MONTH WAS 1.7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.
THE
UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A WARM AND MOIST AIRSTREAM FROM PACIFIC, MIST AND FOG DEVELOPED ON MARCH 12, LIMITING VISIBILITIES THROUGHOUT THE DAY AT WAGLAN ISLAND TO 100 METRES. FOGGY CONDITIONS PREVAILED FROM MARCH 12 TO 15.
IT WAS COOLER AND ALSO DRIER THAN USUAL IN APRIL WITH A MEAN RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF 78 PER CENT, WHICH WAS THE THIRD LOWEST ON RECORD FOR APRIL. ON APRIL 24 A DAY OF SUNNY AND DRY CONDITIONS, THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 17 HILL FIRES.
+
MAY WAS CLOUDLER THAN NORMAL. ALTHOUGH RAINFALL WAS RECORDED ON 26 DAYS, THE TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNT DURING THE MONTH WAS ONLY 115.2 MILLIMETRES, 61 PER CENT BELOW NORMAL.
THE STAND BY SIGNAL NO.1 WAS HOISTED FOR THE FIRST TIME DURING THE YEAR DUE TO THE APPROACH OF TYPHOON SUSAN ON MAY 31.
THE TOTAL RAINFALL FOR JUNE AMOUNTED TO ONLY 296.9 MILLIMETRES, 31 PER CENT BELOW NORMAL.
FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 1988, A TOTAL OF 548. MILLIMETRES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED. MAKING IT THE FOURTH LOWEST ON RECORD FOR THE PERIOD.
JUNE WAS ALSO DRIER AND WARMER THAN NORMAL. THE MEAN RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF 78 PER CENT, EQUALLED IN 1967. WAS THE LOWEST ON RECORD FOR THE MONTH. THE MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 28.6 DEGREES WAS THE HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR JUNF,
FOURTH
/OWING TO