XN000022-1978-01-15 — Page 2

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15, 1978

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WEATHER IN 1977 DRIEST IN 10 YEARS

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THE YEAR 1977 WAS THE DRIEST IN TEN YEARS, ACCORDING TO THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY'S YEARLY WEATHER REVIEW.

A TOTAL OF 1,680 MM OF RAINFALL WAS RECORDED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WHICH REPRESENTED ONLY 77 PER CENT OF THE AVERAGE FIGURE.

CONDITIONS WERE EXTREMELY DRY DURING THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF THE YEAR, AND THE RAINFALL FOR THE FIVE-MONTH PERIOD ENDING MARCH 1977 AMOUNTED TO ONLY 29.2 MM, WHICH WAS THE LOWEST EVER RECORDED FOR THIS PERIOD.

DURING THE PROLONGED DROUGHT, THERE WERE REPORTS OF LOSSES AMONG FARMERS, FLOWER GROWERS AND FISH BREEDERS. FARM LAND IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WERE REPORTEDLY ABANDONED DUE TO THE LACK OF WATER AS WELLS AND STREAMS DRIED UP.

THE YEAR AS A WHOLE WAS SUNNIER AND WARMER THAN USUAL. BUT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR WAS MUCH COLDER THAN USUAL.

JANUARY 1977 WAS THE COLDEST JANUARY SINCE 1934, WITH MINIMUM TEMPERATURES BELOW 10 DEGREES CELSIUS RECORDED FOR 18 DAYS. ON JANUARY 5, THE TEMPERATURE FELL TO A MINIMUM OF 6.2 DEGREES CELSIUS, WHICH WAS THE LOWEST RECORDED IN THE YEAR.

DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER, 11 PEOPLE WERE REPORTED TO HAVE DIED IN THE URBAN AREAS. IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, FARMERS REPORTED LOSSES OF PIGLETS AND CHICKENS.

CONDITIONS WERE ALSO VERY DRY IN THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF THE YEAR, WITH RAINFALL MUCH BELOW AVERAGE. ALTHOUGH MANY FIRE DANGER WARNINGS WERE ISSUED IN FEBRUARY, A LARGE NUMBER OF FIRES BROKE OUT BOTH IN BUILDINGS AND IN FOREST AREAS.

DURING MARCH AND APRIL, THE WEATHER WAS SUNNIER AND WARMER THAN USUAL, AND THE RAINFALL WAS VERY MUCH BELOW AVERAGE. THE MEAN RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF 73 PER CENT IN MARCH WAS THE LOWEST ON RECORD FOR MARCH WHILE THE MEAN TEMPERATURES IN APRIL WAS THE HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR APRIL. THERE WAS ALSO A PERIOD OF PERSISTENT AND WIDE-SPREAD FOG ALONG THE COASTAL AREAS ON MARCH 2, WHICH RESULTED IN THE SINKING OF A TRIPLE-DECKER FERRY AFTER COLLIDING WITH A HYDROFOIL NEAR HEI LING CHAU.

THE DRY CONDITIONS CAME TO AN END IN THE MIDDLE OF MAY WHICH WAS THE FIRST MONTH SINCE AUGUST 1976 WITH ABOVE AVERAGE RAINFALL. THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH WAS FINE AND SUNNY BUT AN ACTIVE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE REMAINED CLOSE TO HONG KONG FOR THE REST OF THE MONTH WHICH WAS CLOUDY WITH FREQUENT HEAVY SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS,

/RAINFALL WAS