XN000022-1980-06-12 — Page 6

THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 1980

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COOLER, CLOUDIER MAY BUT RAINFALL BELOW AVERAGE

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MAY WAS COOLER AND CLOUDIER THAN USUAL, BUT RAINFALL WAS SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE.

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IN ITS MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY, THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY SAID TODAY THAT THE 278.2 MM OF RAIN RECORDED WAS 11.1 MM

BELOW NORMAL AND THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL FROM THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR TO THE END OF MAY WAS 534.0 MM, TWO PER CENT BELOW AVERAGE,

THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM DURING THE FIRST 11 DAYS OF THE MONTH BROUGHT 224.3 MM OF RAINFALL WHICH REPRESENTED 80 PER CENT OF THE MONTH'S TOTAL.

THERE WERE FOUR TROPICAL CYCLONES - TYPHOONS DOM AND ELLEN, SEVERE TROPICAL STORMS GEORGIA AND FORREST - WHICH DEVELOPED OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC.

BUT ONLY SEVERE TROPICAL STORM GEORGIA MOVED CLOSE TO HONG KONG, CAUSING TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS TO BE HOISTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE YEAR.

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THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH WAS CLOUDY WITH SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS - MIST AND FOG DEVELOPED ON MAY 2 AND PERSISTED UNTIL THE FOLLOWING DAY. VISIBILITY WAS REDUCED TO 100 METRES AT WAGLAN ISLAND AND 200 METRES AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY.

A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE NEAR THE SOUTH CHINA COAST COUPLED WITH DISTURBANCES IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE BROUGHT HEAVY THUNDERY SHOWERS ON MAY 3. THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY RECORDED 85.7 MM OF RAIN BETWEEN 2 PM AND 9 PM ON THAT DAY,

WEATHER CONDITIONS REMAINED UNSETTLED FOR THE NEXT FIVE DAYS AND THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT BROUGHT HEAVY THUNDERY SHOWERS AGAIN ON MAY 8 AFTER WHICH THE WEATHER IMPROVED BUT STILL REMAINED CLOUDY WITH SOME SHOWERS.

STRONG EASTERLIES WERE EXPERIENCED DURING THE MORNING OF

MAY 7 AND ON THE EVENING OF MAY 9.

THERE WERE LONG SUNNY PERIODS ON MAY 12 TO 14 AND CONDITIONS WERE WARM AND HUMID WITH MIST AND FOG.

THE

ANOTHER COLD FRONT PASSED THROUGH HONG KONG DURING THE EVENING OF MAY 15, ACCOMPANIED BY SOME THUNDERSTORMS. FOLLOWING TWO DAYS REMAINED CLOUDY WITH SHOWERS.

THE WEATHER BECAME COOLER AND ON THE MORNING OF MAY 17, THE TEMPERATURE FELL TO 19 DEGREES CELSIUS WHICH WAS THE LOWEST RECORDED IN THE MONTH.

TWO MORE PERIODS OF STRONG EASTERLY WINDS WERE EXPERIENCED DURING MAY 16 AND 17 AFTER THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT.

THE WEATHER