XN000022-1975-01-21 — Page 6

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1975

5

DRY AND WARM EATHER CONTINUED IN SEPTEMBER WITH ONLY

47 PER CENT OF THE AVERAGE RAINFALL RECORDED DURING THE MONTH. THE GENERAL DEFICIENCY IN RAIN DURING THE PREVIOUS MONTHS CREATED A SERIOUS PROBLEM OF WATER SHORTAGE AND RESTRICTIONS ON WATER SUPPLY WERE IMPOSED ON SEPTEMBER 25.

OUT OF THE FIVE TROPICAL CYCLONES REPORTED DURING THE MONTH, TWO, TROPICAL STORM 'TRIX' AND SEVERE TROPICAL STORM 'WENDY' NÉCESSITATED THE HOISTING OF TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS IN HONG KONG.

DRY CONDITIONS CAME TO AN END IN OCTOBER WHEN PROLONGED HEAVY RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL CYCLONES BROUGHT MORE THAN SEVEN TIMES THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH TO HONG KONG. THE MONTHLY TOTAL AMOUNTED TO 718.4 MM WHICH WAS THE HIGHEST EVER RECORDED IN OCTOBER.

ON OCTOBER 19, CARMEN PASSED ABOUT 70 MILES SOUTH- SOUTHWEST OF HONG KONG AND PRODUCED GALES AND WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN. THE RAINFALL RECORDED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY ON OCTOBER 18 20 AMOUNTED TO 459.9 MM, WHICH MADE 'CARMEN" THE WETTEST TROPICAL CYCLONE IN OCTOBER AND THE FOURTH WETTEST ON RECORD. TYPHOON ELAINE ALSO BROUGHT 225.2 MM OF RAINFALL TO HONG KONG BUT THE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE OTHER TWO TYPHOONS, 'BESS' AND 'DELLA' WERE LESS THAN 0.5 MM. OF THE UNUSUAL NUMBER OF TROPICAL CYCLONES WHICH THREATENED HONG KONG, SIGNALS WERE HOISTED ON 15 DAYS OF THE MONTH.

BECAUSE

THE STRONG MONSOON SIGNAL WAS HOISTED ON THREE OCCASIONS DURING THE MONTH AND FIRE DANGER WARNINGS WERE IN OPERATION ON THREE DAYS.

#

THE FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE OF TROPICAL CYCLONES OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND SOUTH CHINA SEA REMAINED HIGH IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER. ALTOGETHER, SIX WERE OBSERVED DURING THESE TWO MONTHS. TYPHOON 'GLORIA' CAME NEAR THE SOUTH CHINA COAST ABOUT 110 MILES EAST OF HONG KONG ON NOVEMBER 9, CAUSING FRESH WINDS AND PERIODS OF LIGHT RAIN, WHILE TYPHOON IRMA' WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WETTEST DECEMBER ON RECORD. MORE THAN 95 PER CENT OF THE MONTH'S TOTAL RAINFALL OF 206.9 MM WAS PRODUCED BY IRMA' ON DECEMBER 1 - AND THE 177.3 MM OF RAIN WHICH FELL ON DECEMBER 2 REPRESENTED THE HIGHEST DAILY AMOUNT EVER RECORDED IN DECEMBER.

2.

WINTER CONDITIONS SET IN AROUND MID-NOVEMBER WHEN TEMPERATURES BEGAN TO FALL STEADILY TO GENERALLY BELOW 20 DEGREES CELSIUS. HOWEVER, THE SIX COLD SURGES WHICH PASSED THROUGH HONG KONG DURING THE LAST TWO MONTHS OF THE YEAR WERE RELATIVELY WEAK AND CAUSED THE AIR TEMPERATURE TO FALL BELOW 11 DEGREES CELSIUS ON ONLY ONE OCCASION. DANGER WARNINGS WERE IN FORCE ON 15 DAYS IN NOVEMBER AND 12 DAYS IN DECEMBER, WHILE THE STRONG MONSOON SIGNAL WAS DISPLAYED TWICE IN EACH MONTH.

FIRE

/6