XN000022-1977-08-11 — Page 2

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 1977

LESS SUNSHINE IN JULY YET WARMER, DRIER THAN USUAL

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JULY HAD LESS SUNSHINE THAN USUAL, BUT IT WAS WARMER AND DRIER THAN NORMAL.

THE MONTHLY TOTAL OF 276.1 MM WAS ABOUT 26 PER CENT BELOW AVERAGE WHILE THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL DURING THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS AMOUNTED TO 904.6 MM WHICH WAS 33 PER CENT BELOW AVERAGE AND RANKED THE NINTH LOWEST ON RECORD FOR THE SAME PERIOD SINCE 1884.

DURING THE MONTH, TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE HOISTED FOR THREE OF THE FOUR TROPICAL CYCLONES THAT WERE REPORTED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND THE CHINA SEAS.

APART FROM SOME CLOUDY PERIODS AND A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS, CONDITIONS DURING THE FIRST FOUR DAYS OF THE MONTH WERE FINE AND SUNNY. AND WHEN A TROPICAL DEPRESSION PASSED HONG KONG ON JULY 5 AND 6, STRONG WINDS FROM THE EAST WITH MAXIMUM GUSTS OF 49 KNOTS BLEW FOR 20 HOURS IN THE HARBOUR.

FROM JULY 5 TO 7, THE WEATHER WAS CLOUDY WITH SQUALLY SHOWERS. THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 24.7 DEGREES CELSIUS RECORDED DURING THE SHOWERS ON THE MORNING OF JULY 7 WAS THE LOWEST OF THE MONTH. ONE AIRCRAFT WAS DIVERTED FROM THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON JULY 5 AS A RESULT OF ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

DURING THE PERIOD FROM JULY 8 TO 18, SUNNY AND HOT CONDITIONS PREVAILED.

TYPHOON SARAH HAD BROUGHT HEAVY SQUALLY SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO HONG KONG FROM JULY 19 TO 21.

CONDITIONS FROM JULY 22 TO 25 WERE FINE, SUNNY AND HOT WITH A MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 33.8 DEGREES CELSIUS RECORDED ON THE AFTERNOON OF JULY 25, WHICH WAS THE HIGHEST OF THE MONTH.

TOWARDS THE END OF THE MONTH, THE WEATHER TURNED CLOUDY WITH A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS AND SUNNY PERIODS.

DURING THE MONTH NO FIRE DANGER WARNINGS WERE ISSUED WHILE THUNDERSTORM AND HEAVY RAIN WARNINGS WERE ISSUED ON 10 DIFFERENT

DAYS.

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