XN000022-1976-09-17 — Page 7

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1976

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THIRD WETTEST AUGUST LAST MONTH

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HONG KONG EXPERIENCED ONE OF THE WETTEST AUGUST ON RECORD LAST MONTH,

DURING THE MONTH, THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY RECORDED A TOTAL OF 765.3 MM OF RAINFALL, MORE THAN DOUBLE THE NORMAL FIGURE, MAKING IT THE THIRD WETTEST AUGUST ON RECORD.

TROPICAL STORM ELLEN, WHICH BY PASSED HONG KONG ON AUGUST 24, BROUGHT EXCEPTIONALLY HEAVY RAIN AND VIOLENT THUNDERSTORMS.

AS A RESULT, 416.2 MM OF RAINFALL WAS RECORDED BETWEEN

11 A.M. ON AUGUST 24 AND 11 A.M. ON AUGUST 25. THIS IS THE HIGHEST 24-HOUR AMOUNT RECORDED IN AUGUST AND THE THIRD HIGHEST IN ANY MONTH.

THE RAINFALL ON THESE TWO DAYS AMOUNTED TO 511.6 MM WHICH IS A NEW RECORD FOR AUGUST AND HAS ONLY BEEN EXCEEDED ON TWO PREVIOUS OCCASIONS IN MAY 1889 AND JULY 1926.

HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO THE MONTHLY WEATHER REPORT ISSUED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY, THE MONTH WAS SUNNIER AND WARMER THAN NORMAL IN SPITE OF THE EXCESSIVE RAIN.

DURING THE MONTH, FOUR TROPICAL CYCLONES WERE REPORTED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA, AND OF THESE, BOTH SEVERE TROPICAL STORM CLARA AND TROPICAL STORM ELLEN CAME WITHIN 100 MILES OF HONG KONG AND CAUSED STRONG TO GALE FORCE WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN OVER THE TERRITORY.

AS FOR TEMPERATURES, THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 22.1 DEGREES CELSIUS WHICH WAS RECORDED ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 25. THE HIGHEST READING OF 34.1 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS TAKEN IN THE AFTERNOON OF AUGUST 23.

DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, EIGHT AIRCRAFT WERE DIVERTED FROM THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT DURING THE MONTH.

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