XN000022-1977-09-12 — Page 11

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1977

AUGUST WAS SUNNIER, WARMER AND DRIER THAN USUAL

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THE MONTH OF AUGUST WAS SUNNIER, WARMER AND MUCH DRIER THAN USUAL, ACCORDING TO THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY.

THE MONTHLY RAINFALL TOTAL OF 149.7 MM REPRESENTED ONLY 40 PER CENT OF THE AVERAGE AND RANKED AS EIGHTH LOWEST ON RECORD WHILE THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL DURING THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF THE YEAR WAS 1,054.3 MM, WHICH WAS 39 PER CENT BELOW NORMAL.

AUGUST SAW THE END OF A PARTICULARLY DRY 12-MONTH PERIOD WITH ONLY 1,325.0 MM OF RAINFALL RECORDED. THIS IS THE SECOND LOWEST ON RECORD FOR THE SAME PERIOD SINCE 1884.

THE MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 29 DEGREES CELSIUS AND THE MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 32.1 DEGREES CELSIUS WERE BOTH THE SECOND HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR THE MONTH WHILE THE MEAN MINIMUM OF 26,8 DEGREES CELSIUS EQUALLED THE HIGHEST ON RECORD IN AUGUST 1962.

THERE WERE NO TROPICAL CYCLONES WHICH REACHED TYPHOON STRENGTH OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC DURING THE MONTH ALTHOUGH TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNAL WAS HOISTED FOR ONE OF THE THREE TROPICAL STORMS WHICH HAD SLIGHTLY AFFECTED HONG KONG'S WEATHER CONDITIONS.

THE DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF THE REMNANT OF TYPHOON VERA, WEATHER IN HONG KONG DURING THE FIRST FOUR DAYS OF THE MONTH WAS CLOUDY WITH OCCASIONAL HEAVY SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS.

THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 24.6 DEGREES CELSIUS RECORDED ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 2 WAS THE LOWEST OF THE MONTH. IN ADDITION, OVER TWO-THIRDS OF THE MONTH'S TOTAL RAINFALL FELL DURING THESE FIRST FOUR DAYS.

THE WEATHER CLEARED DURING THE MORNING OF AUGUST 5 AND APART FROM SOME CLOUDY INTERVALS AND A FEW MORNING SHOWERS, CONDITIONS DURING THE PERIOD FROM AUGUST 5 TO AUGUST 19 WERE FINE AND SUNNY.

EARLY ON AUGUST 16, A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE FROM THE NORTH CROSSED HONG KONG BUT IT DID NOT CAUSE A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN WEATHER CONDITIONS.

DURING THE THREE DAYS FROM AUGUST 20 TO AUGUST 22, TROPICAL STORM AMY WAS LOCATED NEAR THE SOUTHERN TIP OF TAIWAN OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND CAUSED AN INCREASE IN CLOUD INESS AND A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS IN MONG KONG.

/AFTER AMY