XN000022-1977-02-21 — Page 3

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1977.

COLDEST JANUARY SINCE 1934

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THE FIRST MONTH OF 1977 WAS MORE CLOUDY AND MUCH COLDER THAN USUAL WITH A MEAN TEMPERATURE OF ONLY 13.7 DEGREES CELSIUS WHICH WAS THE LOWEST ON RECORD FOR JANUARY SINCE 1934.

ALTHOUGH THE TOTAL MONTHLY RAINFALL OF 20.1 MM WAS ALMOST 40 PER CENT BELOW AVERAGE, THE HUMIDITY WAS HIGHER THAN NORMAL.

THE COLD WEATHER WHICH SET IN LATE ON CHRISTMAS DAY LAST YEAR CONTINUED TO PREVAIL DURING THE FIRST FIFTEEN DAYS OF THE MONTH AND THE WEATHER WAS GENERALLY CLOUDY TO OVERCAST WITH OCCASIONAL LIGHT RAIN.

THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY ISSUED A FROST WARNING ON JANUARY 4 WHEN A REPLENISHMENT OF COLD AIR ARRIVED FROM THE NORTH. TEMPERATURE BEGAN TO FALL STEADILY AND IN THE MORNING OF JANUARY 5 A READING OF 6.2 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS RECORDED WHICH WAS THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH,

THE WEATHER BECAME FINE ON JANUARY 11, BUT A WEAK COLD FRONT PASSED THROUGH HONG KONG LATE NEXT DAY AND BROUGHT WIDESPREAD CLOUDINESS DURING THE NEXT THREE DAYS.

ON JANUARY 16 THE WEATHER GRADUALLY IMPROVED AND HONG KONG HAD FINE AND MILD WEATHER WITH SLOWLY RISING TEMPERATURES IN THE FOLLOWING TEN DAYS.

IN THE AFTERNOON OF JANUARY 26, A MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 22.6 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS RECORDED WHICH WAS THE HIGHEST OF THE MONTH.

HOWEVER, CLOUDY AND COOL CONDITIONS RETURNED WITH THE PASSING OF ANOTHER COLD FRONT ON JANUARY 27.

DURING THE LAST TWO DAYS OF THE MONTH, TEMPERATURES FELL TO NEAR FREEZING ON HIGH GROUND AND WARNINGS OF FROST AND ICE WERE ISSUED.

DURING THE MONTH, NO TROPICAL CYCLONES WERE REPORTED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND NO AIRCRAFT WERE DIVERTED FROM THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

THE STRONG MONSOON SIGNAL LAS HOISTED 01.CE ON JANUARY 30 WHEN WINDS FRESHENED FROM THE NORTH AS A RESULT OF THE

INTENSIFICATION OF THE CONTINENTAL ANTICYCLONE OVER NORTH

CHINA.