WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1993
13
A VERY INTENSE AND DISASTROUS RAINSTORM OCCURRED ON MAY 8 OWING TO THE EFFECTS OF AN ACTIVE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE IN THE VICINITY OF HONG KONG.
THE
HOURLY RAINFALL OF 109.9
MILLIMETRES AT THE ROYAL
OBSERVATORY
RECORDED.
BETWEEN 6 AM AND 7 AM THAT DAY WAS THE HIGHEST EVER
THE DAILY RAINFALL OF 324.1 MILLIMETRES ON MAY 8 MADE IT THE SECOND WETTEST MAY DAY ON RECORD.
THE DELUGE WAS, HOWEVER, A VERY LOCALISED EVENT WITH KOWLOON PENINSULA AND THE NORTHERN PART OF HONG KONG ISLAND BEARING THE BRUNT OF THE RAINSTORM. CASUALTIES WERE REPORTED IN ACCIDENTS BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE HEAVY RAIN.
MOST OF THE MUDSLIPS AND FLOODS OCCURRED ON HONG KONG ISLAND. WORST MUDSLIP WAS AT BAGUIO VILLA WHERE BUILDINGS HAD то BE TEMPORARILY CLOSED, AFFECTING HUNDREDS OF RESIDENTS.
THE
ALTOGETHER, ABOUT 200 CASES OF MUDSLIPS AND AROUND 300 CASES OF FLOODING WERE REPORTED. MANY ROADS ON STEEP SLOPES WERE TURNED INTO TORRENT'S AND THE FLOOD WATER PARALYSED ROAD TRAFFIC IN THE URBAN AREAS.
JUNE WAS THE SIXTH CONSECUTIVE MONTH WITH ABOVE-NORMAL RAINFALL. THE MONTHLY TOTAL OF 532.8 MILLIMETRES WAS 42 PER CENT ABOVE THE JUNE NORMAL OF 376.0 MILLIMETRES.
THE FIRST TROPICAL CYCLONE IN THE YEAR TO AFFECT HONG KONG WAS TYPHOON CHUCK WHICH CALLED FOR THE HOISTING OF THE NO. 3 STRONG WIND SIGNAL ON JUNE 27 AND 28.
JULY WAS ALSO WETTER THAN NORMAL. THE MONTHLY RAINFALL OF 358.1 MILLIMETRES WAS 11 PER CENT ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 323.5
MILLIMETRES.
IN
RAIN WAS MOSTLY ASSOCIATED WITH ACTIVE SOUTHWEST MONSOON EARLY THE MONTH AND THE SUBSEQUENT PASSAGES OF THREE TROPICAL CYCLONES.
THE NEWLY INTRODUCED RED AND BLACK RAINSTORM WARNINGS WERE ISSUED FOR THE FIRST TIME ON JULY 18 FOR THE HEAVY RAIN BROUGHT BY TROPICAL STORM FAYE.
ON JULY 22, SEVERE TROPICAL STORM GARY PROMPTED THE HOISTING OF THE NO. 8 GALE OR STORM SIGNAL.
IN SHARP CONTRAST TO THE WET ANOMALY WHICH PERSISTED FROM JANUARY TO JULY, AUGUST WAS ONE OF THE DRIEST AND HOTTEST AUGUSTS ON RECORD.
OF
THE MONTHLY RAINFALL WAS ONLY ABOUT ONE-QUARTER OF THE NORMAL 391.4 MILLIMETRES, MAKING IT THE DRIEST AUGUST SINCE 1962.
WAS
ON
32.0
ONE OF THE HOTTEST DAYS EVER EXPERIENCED IN HONG KONG AUGUST 30 WHEN THE DAILY MEAN TEMPERATURE WAS A RECORD HIGH OF DEGREES.
/THE MINIMUM
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