XN000022-1978-08-19 — Page 6

5

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 1978

JULY SETS WEATHER RECORD

****

THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY LAST MONTH (JULY) RECORDED MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES EXCEEDING 33 DEGREES CELSIUS ON 19 CONSECUTIVE DAYS AN UNPRECEDENTED RECORD.

ACCORDING TO THE MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY ISSUED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY, LAST MONTH'S MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 32.1 DEGREES AND MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 28.9 DEGREES RANKED FIFTH AND SEVENTH HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR JULY RESPECTIVELY.

AT THE END OF THE MONTH SEVERE TROPICAL STORM AGNES, THE FOURTH WETTEST TROPICAL CYCLONE SINCE 1884, BROUGHT 519 MM OF MUCH NEEDED RAIN TO HONG KONG, BRINGING THE MONTH'S TOTAL RAINFALL TO 555.2 MM OR 74 PER CENT MORE THAN AVERAGE,

THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL FROM THE BEGINNING OF 1978 UP TO THE END OF JULY AMOUNTED TO 1,518 MM OR 15 PER CENT ABOVE NORMAL.

SEVERE TROPICAL STORM AGNES APPROACHED HONG KONG TWICE AND IT IS UNIQUE IN THAT IT IS THE ONLY TROPICAL CYCLONE FOR WHICH GALE SIGNALS WERE HOISTED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS.

THE FIRST 22 DAYS OF JULY WERE MAINLY FINE AND HOT APART FROM A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

ON THE AFTERNOON OF JULY 22, TEMPERATURES ROSE TO A MAXIMUM OF 34.2 DEGREES WHICH WAS THE HIGHEST RECORDED IN THE MONTH.

AS AGNES DEVELOPED TO THE SOUTH OF HONG KONG SHOWERS BEGAN TO SET IN DURING THE EVENING OF JULY 24. CONTINUOUS RAIN COMMENCED ON JULY 26 AND LASTED UNTIL JULY 30 WHEN AGNES WAS OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.

ON THE MORNING OF JULY 27, TEMPERATURES FELL TO A MINIMUM OF 23.8 DEGREES WHICH WAS THE LOWEST IN THE MONTH.

THE WEATHER IMPROVED ON THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH AND THE AFTERNOON WAS FINE AND HOT.

DURING THE MONTH 34 AIRCRAFT WERE DIVERTED FROM HONG KONG DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH AGNES. DANGER WARNINGS WERE ISSUED.

NO FIRE

16