XN000022-1981-06-09 — Page 5

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TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 1981

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A COLD FRONT ARRIVED ON THE MORNING OF MAY 3. BRINGING A FEW SHOWERS AND NORTHERLY WINDS. HAIL WAS REPORTED BY A PILOT FLYING AT 600 FEET OVER LEI YUE MUN GAP.

THIS LATE SURGE OF THE WINTER MONSOON BROUGHT COOLER WEATHER AND TEMPERATURES FELL TO A MINIMUM OF 18.5 DEGREES CELSIUS ON MAY 4, THE LOWEST OF THE MONTH.

IT REMAINED CLOUDY ON MAY 5 BUT THE WEATHER TURNED FINE THE NEXT DAY AND REMAINED SUNNY AND HOT UNTIL MAY 8.

AFTER SOME SHOWERS ON MAY 9, THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY SHOWERS OCCURRED ON MAY 10 AND 11, A TOTAL OF 178.8 MM OF RAIN WAS RECORDED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY.

DURING THESE TWO DAYS, LANDSLIPS WERE REPORTED IN KWUN TONG, SAU MAU PING, NORTH POINT, ABERDEEN AND IN MANY PARTS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES. FLOOD ING WAS WORST IN SHA TIN AND TAI PO. A ROAD SUBS IDENCE OCCURRED ON TSING YI ISLAND.

A 29-YEAR-OLD THAT WOMAN WAS KILLED WHEN A HUGE ROCK WEIGHING ABOUT 10 TONNES CRASHED ONTO HER HILLSIDE HUT NEAR LEI YUE MUN ROAD ESTATE IN KWUN TONG. ABOUT 650 PEOPLE WERE EVACUATED FROM SQUATTER HUTS.

ACCORDING TO NEWSPAPERS IN CHINA, A WATERSPOUT OCCURRED OFF THE EAST COAST OF LEIZHOU PENINSULA ON MAY 10, KILLING 52 FISHERMEN.

WINDS TURNED NORTHERLY FOR A SHORT WHILE ON MAY 12 AND IT BECAME SLIGHTLY COOLER. THERE WAS RAIN THAT NIGHT AND IT REMAINED CLOUDY ON MAY 13.

A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE BROUGHT MORE RAIN ON MAY 14 AND SOME HEAVY SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ON THE AFTERNOON OF MAY 15.

THE WEATHER WAS FINE WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE FROM MAY 16 TO 19. EASTERLY WINDS FRESHENED ON MAY 20 AND THERE WERE TRACES OF LIGHT RAIN. WINDS WERE STRONG DURING THE NIGHT BUT THEY TURNED NORTHERLY ON MAY 21 AND THEN MODERATED. THERE WAS RAIN ALL DAY WITH SOME THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON.

IT REMAINED CLOUDY WITH SUNNY INTERVALS ON MAY 22.

FROM MAY 23 TO 30, THE WEATHER LIGHT SHOWERS ALMOST EVERY MORNING, 31.5 DEGREES CELSIUS ON MAY 30, THE

WAS HOT BUT CLOUDY WITH ISOLATED

MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES ROSE TO HIGHEST OF THE MONTH.

THERE WERE SHOWERS DURING THE EVENING OF MAY 30 AS ANOTHER TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE APPROACHED FROM THE NORTH. THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY SHOWERS OCCURRED EARLY ON MAY 31.

FIVE SQUATTER HUTS IN YAU TONG AND ANOTHER ONE IN KWUN TONG COLLAPSED IN LANDSLIPS. OVER 100 PEOPLE WERE EVACUATED FROM THE IR HOMES. MINOR LANDSLIPS ALSO OCCURRED IN SAU MAU PING AND IN ANDERSON ROAD, KWUN TONG. A ROAD SUBSIDED IN SHA TIN.

/THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS