XN000022-1975-10-18 — Page 4

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SEPTEMBER WEATHER ROUNDUP

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LAST MONTH'S WEATHER WAS WARMER AND MUCH DRIER THAN USUAL WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTING TO ONLY 96.0 MM JUST 34 PER CENT OF THE AVERAGE FIGURE FOR SEPTEMBER.

HOWEVER, THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR STILL EXCEEDED THE NORMAL VALUE FOR THE SAME PERIOD BY 25 PER CENT.

HONG KONG EXPERIENCED ITS HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR ON SEPTEMBER 22 WHEN THE AIR TEMPERATURE ROSE TO 33.9 DEGREES CELSIUS.

FOUR TROPICAL CYCLONES WERE REPORTED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC DURING THE MONTH. SEVERE TROPICAL STORM "ALICE' AND TYPHOON 'BETTY' ENTERED THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND AFFECTED HONG KONG. THE OTHER TWO, TYPHOON 'TESS AND TROPICAL STORM VIOLA', MOVED NORTHWARDS AND DISSIPATED EAST OF JAPAN AND SOUTHEAST OF THE RYUKYU ISLANDS RESPECTIVELY.

'ALICE' DEVELOPED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC ABOUT 500 MILES EAST OF MANILA AND NECESSITATED THE HOISTING OF THE STANDDY SIGNAL NO. 1 DURING THE AFTERNOON OF SEPTEMBER 18 WHEN IT WAS CENTRED ABOUT 400 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HONG KONG. THE STANDBY SIGNAL WAS REPLACED DY THE STRONG WIND SIGNAL NO. 3 THE NEXT MORNING WHEN 'ALICE' WAN CENTRED ABOUT 290 MILES SOUTH OF HONG KONG. SHE CROSSED HAIMAN ISLAND EARLY ON SEPTEMBER 20 AND ALL SIGNALS WERE LOWERED LATER IN THE DAY.

TYPHOON 'BETTY' FORMED WEST OF THE MARIANA ISLANDS ON SEPTEMBER 17 BUT DID NOT POSE A THREAT TO HONG KONG UNTIL SEPTEMBER 22 WHEN THE STANDBY SIGNAL NO. 1 WAS HOISTED BECAUSE OF THE TYPHOON'S EXTENSIVE CIRCULATION. THE STANDBY SIGNAL WAS LOWERED ON SEPTEMBER 24 AFTER 'BETTY' HAD MOVED WESTWARDS ACROSS EASTERN KWANGTUNG AND DEGENERATED INTO AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE.

THE FINE AND SUNNY WEATHER AHEAD OF 'BETTY' ON SEPTEMBER 22 CAUSED THE AIR TEMPERATURE IN THE AFTERNOON TO RISE TO A MAXIMUM OF 33.9 DEGREES CELSIUS WHICH WAS THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED SO FAR THIS YEAR.

CLOUDY AND SHOWERY WEATHER DURING THE FOLLOWING TWO DAYS BROUGHT COOLER CONDITIONS HOWEVER, AND DURING THE EARLY MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 24, THE AIR TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO A MINIMUM OF 22.9 DEGREES CELSIUS, THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED FOR THE MONTH.

DESPITE THE THREAT OF THE STORMS, NO AIRCRAFT WERE DIVERTED FROM HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT DURING THE MONTH AND NO FIRE DANGER WARNINGS WERE ISSUED.

6EVEN THUNDERSTORM AND TWO THUNDERSTORM AND HEAVY RAIN WARNINGS WERE ISSUED ON VARIOUS DAYS OF THE MONTH.

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