XN000022-1976-12-18 — Page 2

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1976

COLDEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD

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THE MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 19.1 DEGREES CELSIUS LAST MONTH MADE IT THE COLDEST NOVEMBER SINCE RECORD BEGAN IN 1884.

THE MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 22.2 DEGREES CELSIUS AND THE MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 16.6 DEGREES CELSIUS ALSO RESPECTIVELY RANKED THE SECOND AND THE THIRD LOWEST ON RECORD FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER.

ON THE WHOLE, THE MONTH WAS DRIER AND SUNNIER THAN USUAL WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTING TO ONLY 0.8 MM WHICH WAS TWO PER CENT OF THE AVERAGE FIGURE. HOWEVER, THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR WAS STILL TWO PER CENT ABOVE AVERAGE.

APART FROM ONE OR TWO LIGHT RAIN PATCHES ON NOVEMBER 1, THE WEATHER FOR THE FIRST FOUR DAYS OF THE MONTH WAS MAINLY FINE, SUNNY AND WARM.

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ON NOVEMBER 4, THE TEMPERATURE ROSE TO A MAXIMUM OF 27.7 DEGREES CELSIUS, THE HIGHEST RECORDED IN THE MONTH.

A COLD FRONT PASSED THROUGH HONG KONG EARLY ON NOVEMBER 5. AND CONDITIONS BECAME CLOUDY WITH LIGHT RAIN PATCHES. PRACTICALLY ALL THE MONTH'S RAIN FELL ON THIS DAY. THE WEATHER IMPROVED GRADUALLY ON NOVEMBER 7 AND BECAME FINE, SUNNY AND MILD DURING THE NEXT THREE DAYS.

ANOTHER COLD FRONT ARRIVED FROM THE NORTH EARLY ON NOVEMBER 11, BRINGING A SPELL OF COLD AND DRY CONDITIONS WHICH LASTED UNTIL NOVEMBER 18. THE AIR TEMPERATURE FELL SLIGHTLY AT FIRST BUT MORE RAPIDLY LATER, WITH THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH - 11,8 DEGREES CELSIUS RECORDED EARLY ON NOVEMBER 15.

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DURING THE MONTH UNDER REVIEW, THE STRONG MONSOON SIGNAL WAS HOISTED ON THREE OCCASIONS AND FIRE DANGER WARNINGS WERE PRACTICALLY IN FORCE THROUGHOUT THE MONTH DUE TO THE EXCEPTIONALLY DRY CONDITIONS.

NO AIRCRAFT WERE DIVERTED FROM THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS DURING THE MONTH AND NO THUNDERSTORM OR HEAVY RAIN WARNINGS WERE ISSUED.

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