MONDAY, APRIL 13, 1992
11
DAMP WEATHER CONTINUES IN MARCH
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THE DAMP AND WET WEATHER
OF FEBRUARY CONTINUED INTO MARCH, ACCORDING TO A MONTHLY WEATHER REPORT RELEASED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY.
CLOUDS AND MIST WERE PREVALENT AS MOISTURE CONVERGED UPON THE SOUTH CHINA COASTAL AREAS.
TOTAL DURATION OF SUNSHINE FOR THE MONTH, WHICH AMOUNTED ΤΟ 37.6 HOURS ONLY, WAS LESS THAN 40 PER CENT OF NORMAL AND RANKED THE NINTH LOWEST SINCE 1884.
THE MONTHLY MEAN RELATIVE HUMIDITY WAS AS HIGH AS 90 PER CENT, MAKING IT THE MOST HUMID MARCH SINCE 1978.
RAINFALL WAS AGAIN PLENTIFUL, WITH THE MONTHLY TOTAL OF 242.4 MILLIMETRES OVER THREE-AND-A-HALF TIMES THE MARCH NORMAL OF 66.9 MILLIMETRES.
HALF OF THE MONTH'S RAIN FELL ON MARCH 3, THE SECOND WETTEST MARCH DAY ON RECORD.
THE TOTAL RAINFALL IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR AMOUNTED TO 425.2 MILLIMETRES, WHICH WAS THE SECOND HIGHEST ON RECORD AND OVER THREE TIMES THE NORMAL OF 138.3 MILLIMETRES FOR THE SAME PERIOD.
THE ONLY OTHER OCCASION WITH AN EVEN WETTER FIRST QUARTER WAS THE RECORD-BREAKING 745.3 MILLIMETRES IN 1983.
INCIDENTALLY, THE RAINY SPRINGS OF 1983 AND 1992 BOTH OCCURRED AT A TIME WHEN PHENOMENON KNOWN AS EL NINO WAS TAKING PLACE IN THE EASTERN EQUATORIAL PACIFIC.
RAIN AND MIST ON MARCH 1 SET THE THEME FOR THE MONTH'S WEATHER. ALTHOUGH RAIN BECAME LESS THE NEXT DAY, VISIBILITY WAS WORSE AS A RESULT OF THICKENING FOG THAT SPREAD INSIDE THE HARBOUR.
THE APPROACH OF A COLD FRONT FROM GUANGDONG LED TO INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE WEATHER, BRINGING ABOUT A HEAVY DOWNPOUR OVER THE TERRITORY IN THE EARLY HOURS OF MARCH 3.
IN THE AFTERMATH, TEMPERATURES ROSE BY A COUPLE OF DEGREES JUST BEFORE DAYBREAK AS WARM MARITIME AIR PUSHED MOMENTARILY INTO THE COASTAL AREAS.
HOWEVER, WINDS SOON FRESHENED FROM THE EAST LATER THAT DAY AND EVENTUALLY BECAME FRESH TO STRONG NORTHERLY AFTER THE COLD FRONT FROM THE NORTH PASSED THROUGH ON MARCH 4.
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AS A RESULT OF THE RAINY WEATHER, SEVERAL INCIDENTS OF MUDSLIPS, BOULDER FALL AND TOPPLED TREES WERE REPORTED THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY.
/WHILE RAIN