XN000022-1977-10-13 — Page 6

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1977

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SEPTEMBER WAS WETTER THAN USUAL ******

SEPTEMBER HAD MUCH MORE RAINFALL AND LESS SUNSHINE THAN USUAL, BUT IT WAS SLIGHTLY WARMER AND LESS HUMID THAN NORMAL, ACCORDING TO THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY.

THE MONTHLY TOTAL RAIN OF 415.9 MM WAS ABOUT 49 PER CENT MORE THAN AVERAGE. HOWEVER, THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL FOR THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF THE YEAR AMOUNTED TO ONLY 1470.2 MM, WHICH WAS STILL 27 PER CENT BELOW NORMAL.

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

TROPICAL STORM CARLA DEVELOPED ABOUT 260 MILES SOUTH OF HONG KONG EARLY ON SEPTEMBER 3 AND MOVED WESTWARDS. THE STANDBY SIGNAL NUMBER 1 WAS HOISTED IN THE MORNING ON THAT DAY AND THE STRONG WIND SIGNAL NUMBER 3 WAS HOISTED IN THE SAME EVENING. ALL SIGNALS WERE LOWERED IN THE AFTERNOON THE FOLLOWING DAY.

DURING MID-SEPTEMBER THE STANDBY SIGNAL NUMBER 1 WAS HOISTED FOR A RECORD TIME OF 124 HOURS AND 40 MINUTES FROM 4.30 P.M. ON SEPTEMBER 16 TO 9.10 P.M. ON SEPTEMBER 21 WHEN TYPHOON DINAH CONTINUED TO MOVE IRREGULARLY OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.

ON THE HEELS OF DINAH, SEVERE TROPICAL STORM FREDA ENTERED THE SOUTH CHINA SEA IN THE EVENING OF SEPTEMBER 23 WHEN STANDBY SIGNAL NUMBER 1 WAS HOISTED.

AS FREDA INTENSIFIED IN THE AFTERNOON THE FOLLOWING DAY, FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR, STORM SIGNAL NUMBER 8 WAS HOISTED IN THE AFTERNOON TO REPLACE STRONG WIND SIGNAL NUMBER 3 PUT UP EARLY THAT MORNING.

THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE MONTH WERE MAINLY FINE AND HOT, BUT WEATHER DETERIORATED ON SEPTEMBER 3 AS TROPICAL STORM CARLA DEVELOPED OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.

THERE WERE HEAVY SQUALLY SHOWERS OVERNIGHT AND THE RAIN WAS HEAVIEST ON SEPTEMBER 5, WITH A TOTAL OF 267.6 MM OF RAINFALL RECORDED FROM SEPTEMBER 4 TO 6.

THE WEATHER GRADUALLY IMPROVED ON SEPTEMBER 6, AND THE WEATHER REMAINED FINE AND HOT UNTIL SEPTEMBER 20 ALTHOUGH SOME SHOWERS WERE REPORTED ON SEPTEMBER 13 AND 19.

ON THE AFTERNOON OF SEPTEMBER 19, TEMPERATURES ROSE TO A MAXIMUM OF 33.8 DEGREES CELSIUS WHICH WAS THE HIGHEST RECORDED IN THE MONTH.

/AN INTENSE