XN000022-1981-01-15 — Page 4

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1981

THERE WERE FOUR TROPICAL CYCLONES IN JULY FOR WHICH LOCAL WARNING SIGNALS WERE HOISTED. SEVERE TROPICAL STORM IDA WAS CLOSEST ON JULY 11 AND BROUGHT A TOTAL OF 190.8 MM OF RAIN. AN UNNAMED STORM SOUTH OF HONG KONG CAUSED STRONG WINDS ON JULY 18. TYPHOON KIM DEVASTATED THE NORTHERN PHILIPPINES ON JULY 25 AND WAS CLOSEST TO HONG KONG ON JULY 27, CAUSING SLIGHT DAMAGE.

THE ONLY GALE OR STORM SIGNALS OF THE YEAR WERE HOISTED FOR 13 HOURS 25 MINUTES FOR TYPHOON JOE WHICH PASSED ABOUT 190 NAUTICAL MILES TO THE SOUTH-SOUTHWEST ON JULY 22.

JOE CLAIMED TWO LIVES IN AN ACCIDENT ON A CONSTRUCTION SITE IN KWAI CHUNG AND SANK A JUNK OFF ABERDEEN WITH ONE PERSON MISSING.

IN ADDITION IT CAUSED INJURIES TO 59 PERSONS AND BROKE LOOSE THREE OCEAN-GOING VESSELS IN THE HARBOUR, ACCORDING TO CHINESE REPORTS, THE TYPHOON WHICH PASSED OVER THE LEIZHOU (LUICHOW) PENINSULA -- WAS THE STRONGEST OVER THE REGION IN 26 YEARS.

IN AUGUST ONLY A TROPICAL DEPRESSION PASSED TO THE SOUTHWEST ON THE 18TH WITHOUT CAUSING ANY DAMAGE TO HONG KONG,

IN THE FOLLOWING MONTH, SEVEN CYCLONES DEVELOPED BUT NONE CAME VERY CLOSE TO HONG KONG. TYPHOON RUTH STRUCK HAINAN DAO (HAINAN. ISLAND) ON SEPTEMBER 15 AND REACHED THE COAST OF VIETNAM NEAR HANO I ON SEPTEMBER 16. IT WAS THE WORST TYPHOON TO HIT THANH HOA PROVINCE IN 30 YEARS. TYPHOON PERCY CROSSED THE SOUTHERN TIP OF TAIWAN CLOSE TO HENGCHUN ON SEPTEMBER 18 AND LANDED NEAR SHANTOU (SWATOW).

THE LAST TROPICAL CYCLONE OF THE YEAR, TROPICAL STORM CARY, MOVED ACROSS THE SOUTH CHINA SEA BETWEEN OCTOBER 29 AND NOVEMBER 2 BUT DID NOT AFFECT HONG KONG.

ON THE WHOLE, 1980 WAS GENERALLY A HOT DRY YEAR. RAINFALL WAS ONLY 1710.6 MM COMPARED TO A NORMAL 2246.4 MM. MOST OF THIS DEFICIT OCCURRED IN JUNE. THE NUMBER OF TROPICAL CYCLONES IN THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND CHINA SEAS WAS NEARLY NORMAL AND SIGNALS WERE HOISTED ON TEN OCCASIONS INCLUDING SEVEN ON WEEKENDS.

THE WINTER WAS EXCEPTIONALLY DRY. THE TOTAL RAINFALL FOR THE FOUR MONTHS OCTOBER 1979 TO JANUARY 1980 AMOUNTED TO ONLY 15.7 MM, MAKING IT THE DRIEST FOUR-MONTH PERIOD EVER RECORDED,

A MONTH-BY-MONTH WEATHER SUMMARY FOR 1980 FOLLOWS:

JANUARY

ALTHOUGH IT WAS VERY COLD AT THE END OF THE MONTH, JANUARY AS A WHOLE WAS MILDER THAN USUAL. AN INTENSE COLD FRONT ON JANUARY 29 CLEARED THE MIST AND FOG AND CAUSED AN EXTREMELY SHARP DROP IN TEMPERATURE OF MORE THAN 19 DEGREES CELSIUS IN 40 HOURS. ON THE MORNING OF JANUARY 31, FROST WAS REPORTED AT TAI MO SHAN WHERE A MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF -3.7 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS REPORTED.

FESURART: