XN000022-1981-08-12 — Page 5

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EDNESDAY, AUG.LT 12, 1981

JULY COOLER BUT LESS HUMID

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JULY WAS CLOUDIER, SLIGHTLY COOLER BUT LESS HUMID THAN USUAL ACCORDING TO THE MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY RELEASED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY.

ITS 184.6 HOURS OF SUNSHINE RECORDED WAS 46.3 HOURS BELOW NORMAL.

TOTAL RAINFALL WAS 317.2 MM WHICH IS VERY CLOSE TO THE NORMAL FIGURE OF 316.8 MM.

THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL FOR THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF THE YEAR AMOUNTED TO 989.6 MM, SOME 24 PER CENT BELOW NORMAL, AND AT THE END OF THE MONTH THE RESERVOIRS WERE 44 PER CENT FULL.

FIVE TROPICAL CYCLONES DEVELOPED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.

ABOUT 200 PEOPLE WERE KILLED AS TYPHOON KELLY CROSSED THE CENTRAL PHILIPPINES ON JULY 1. IT CAUSED FLOODING AND LANDSLIPS THERE BEFORE PASSING OVER THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF HAINAN DAO AND DISSIPATING NEAR VIENTIANE ON JULY 5.

ON JULY 4, SEVERE TROPICAL STORM LYNN CROSSED LUZON, KILLING 17 PEOPLE AND LEAVING MORE THAN 65 000 HOMELESS. IT PASSED OVER SHANGCHUAN DAO EARLY ON JULY 7 AND DISSIPATED NEAR NANNING IN THE EVENING, KILLING FIVE PEOPLE AND CAUSING MUCH DAMAGE IN WESTERN GUANGDONG SHENG.

IN THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE MONTH THERE WERE SHOWERS AND ON THE THIRD DAY, THERE WERE OCCASIONAL STRONG EAST-SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS IN HONG KONG WHEN TYPHOON KELLY CROSSED THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.

APART FROM A FEW ISOLATED MORNING SHOWERS, THE WEATHER WAS FINE AND SUNNY ON JULY 5. BUT WINDS TURNED NORTHEASTERLY AND STRENGTHENED OVERNIGHT, AND WITH THE APPROACH OF SEVERE TROPICAL STORM LYNN, EAST-NORTHEASTERLY GALES SET IN OFFSHORE THE FOLLOWING DAY, BUT THE HARBOUR WAS RELATIVELY SHELTERED. SQUALLY SHOWERS WERE FREQUENT DURING THE DAY.

SOUTHEASTERLY GALES BECAME GENERAL IN THAT EVENING. GUSTS REACHED 70 KNOTS AT TAI O AND 59 KNOTS AT THE STAR FERRY PIER EARLY ON JULY 7 WHEN LYNN PASSED ABOUT 80 NAUTICAL MILES TO THE SOUTHWEST. WINDS GRADUALLY ABATED AFTER LYNN CROSSED THE COAST AND SHOWERS DIED OUT ON THE FOLLOWING DAY.

DURING THE PASSAGE OF LYNN, RAIN WAS HEAVIEST IN THE NORTHWESTERN PARTS OF THE NEW TERRITORIES. LANDSLIPS WERE REPORTED AT DIAMOND HILL, KWUN TONG AND SHAU KEI WAN, WITH MINOR FLOODS IN THE TUEN MUN AREA. THIRTY-TWO PEOPLE WERE INJURED, MOSTLY BY FALLING OBJECTS.

/FRCM JULY