XN000022-1981-04-13 — Page 9

MONDAY, APRIL 13, 1981

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THE PARTIAL OPENING OF THE TSUEN WAN BY-PASS STAGE ONE WILL SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVE TRAFFIC CONDITIONS IN KWAI CHUNG, TSUEN WAN AND TSING YI. WHEN FULLY OPENED IN JULY, IT WILL PROVIDE A DUAL 3-LANE HIGHWAY LINKING KWAI CHUNG ROAD WITH TEXACO ROAD.

TRAFFIC SIGNS WILL BE PUT UP TO GUIDE MOTORISTS.

HAILSTORM AND A WET MARCH

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LAST MONTH SAW THE MOST WIDESPREAD HAILSTORM OVER THE URBAN AREAS SINCE 1940, THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY SAID IN ITS MONTHLY WEATHER REPORT TODAY.

HAIL WAS REPORTED ON MARCH 19 FROM 5.35 PM TO 6 PM OVER KOWLOON AND AGAIN FROM 9.34 PM TO 11.10 PM OVER HONG KONG ISLAND AND PART OF LANTAU,

SOME OF THE HAILSTONES WERE REPORTED TO BE AS BROAD AS THE RIM OF A RICE BOWL, WHICH WAS ABOUT 10 CENTIMETRES IN DIAMETER.

THERE WERE REPORTS THAT CORRUGATED PLASTIC SHELTER IN CAR PARKS AND ON ROOF-TOPS WERE PUNCTURED. HOWEVER, NO DAMAGE TO CROPS WAS REPORTED. TWO AIRCRAFTS WERE DIVERTED FROM HONG KONG BECAUSE OF THE HAIL.

THIS IS THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR IN WHICH HAILS WERE REPORTED OVER HONG KONG.

K

THERE WERE SIX DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORMS LAST MONTH THE HIGHEST NUMBER ON RECORD FOR MARCH IN POST-WAR YEARS. THERE WERE ALSO SEVEN DAYS WITH COASTAL FOG.

THE MONTH WAS WETTER THAN USUAL WITH 123.9 MM OF RAIN WHICH IS 69.1 MM ABOVE NORMAL. IT WAS ALSO WARMER, CLOUDIER AND LESS SUNNY THAN USUAL. THE MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 20.6 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS THE THIRD HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR MARCH. THERE WERE ONLY 76.8 HOURS OF SUNSHINE - 24.6 HOURS LESS THAN AVERAGE.

FOG FORMED NEAR THE COAST ON MARCH 1 AND SPREAD INTO THE HARBOUR THE NEXT DAY.

THE LOWEST VISIBILITY RECORDED BOTH AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY AND AT THE AIRPORT ON THAT DAY WAS 500 METRES. THE MONTH'S MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 15.9 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS RECORDED IN THAT MORNING. THE FOG CLEARED AFTER SOME RAIN LATER IN THE DAY.

THERE WAS DRIZZLE EARLY ON MARCH 3 BUT COASTAL FOG RETURNED AT NIGHT, WINDS TURNED NORTHERLY ON MARCH 4 AND THE FOG CLEARED. IT REMAINED CLOUDY AND MILD UNTIL MARCH 7.

/ON MARCH 8