XN000022-1981-07-10 — Page 7

FRIDAY, JULY 10, 1981

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JUNE WAS THE THIRD DRIEST

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LAST MONTH, WITH ITS 106.4 MM OF RAINFALL, WAS THE THIRD DRIEST JUNE SINCE RECORDS WERE KEPT, ACCORDING TO THE MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY RELEASED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY.

THE DRIEST JUNE WAS IN 1901 WITH 59.3 MM OF RAINFALL FOLLOWED BY THE ONE IN 1938 WITH 75.9 MM.

THE 106.4 MM RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH WAS 325.4 MM BELOW NORMAL.

ACCUMULATED RAINFALL FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THE YEAR AMOUNTED TO 672.4 MM, SOME 32 PER CENT BELOW NORMAL.

AT THE END OF THE MONTH, THE RESERVOIRS WERE ONLY 37 PER CENT FULL.

JUNE WAS ALSO COOLER AND LESS HUMID THAN USUAL WITH A MEAN RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF 80 PER CENT RECORDED, THE FOURTH LOWEST FOR THE MONTH.

DURING THE MONTH, THREE TROPICAL CYCLONES DEVELOPED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA,

SEVERE TROPICAL STORM IKE RECURVED NEAR HAINAN DAO AND STRUCK TAIWAN ON JUNE 13.

FOUR DAYS LATER, TYPHOON JUNE FORMED EAST OF THE PHILIPPINES AND CROSSED TAIBE! ON JUNE 20 CAUSING HEAVY RAIN IN NORTHERN TAIWAN. IT DISSIPATED OVER JAPAN ON JUNE 23.

ON JUNE 30, A TROPICAL DEPRESSION FORMED EAST OF THE PHILIPPINES AND MOVED WESTWARDS.

THE FIRST FOUR DAYS OF THE MONTH WERE MARKED BY DULL WEATHER, WITH RAIN AND SLIGHT SHOWERS DUE TO A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE JUST SOUTH OF HONG KONG. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED AROUND MIDNIGHT ON JUNE 1 AND THE MONTH'S LOWEST TEMPERATURE OF 22.7 DEGREE CELSIUS WAS RECORDED ON JUNE 3.

ANOTHER TROUGH CROSSED HONG KONG ON JUNE 5 AND BROUGHT HEAVY SHOWERS. ONE PERSON WAS KILLED IN A LANDSLIP ON KING'S ROAD AND MINOR LANDSLIPS OCCURRED IN LAM TIN AND TSZ WAN SHAN ON JUNE 3 AND JUNE 5. THE RAIN CONTINUED ON THE NEXT DAY.

ON JUNE 7, THE WEATHER BECAME FINE AND SUNNY BUT STRONG EASTERLY WINDS WERE EXPERIENCED ON THAT NIGHT AND THE FOLLOWING DAY.

THERE WERE SLIGHT SHOWERS ON THE FOLLOWING FOUR DAYS WHILE TROPICAL STORM IKE RECURVED OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA. AS IKE CONTINUED TO MOVE TOWARDS SOUTH TAIWAN, FRESH NORTHERLY WINDS MODERATED. THE WEATHER REMAINED CLOUDY UNTIL JUNE 15.

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