XN000022-1982-01-14 — Page 9

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1982

6

JUNE 1981 WAS THE THIRD DRIEST JUNE SINCE RECORDS BEGAN. THE MONTH'S TOTAL RAINFALL OF 106.4 MM WAS 325.4 MM BELOW NORMAL. NEVERTHELESS HEAVY SHOWERS ON JUNE 5 CAUSED A LANDSLIP ON KING'S ROAD, KILLING ONE PERSON. SEVERE TROPICAL STORM IKE RECURVED NEAR HAINAN AND STRUCK TAIWAN ON JUNE 13. A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS SIGHTED AT YUNG SHUE WAN, LAMMA ISLAND, AROUND 8.40 AM ON JUNE 27.

JULY WAS CLOUDIER AND SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN USUAL. WINDS WERE STRONG ON JULY 3 AS TYPHOON KELLY CROSSED THE SOUTH CHINA SEA. THE ONLY GALE OR STORM SIGNALS OF THE YEAR WERE HOISTED FOR 28 HOURS 45 MINUTES FOR SEVERE TROPICAL STORM LYNN WHICH PASSED ABOUT 80 NAUTICAL MILES TO THE SOUTHWEST ON JULY 7. THIRTY-TWO PEOPLE WERE INJURED MOSTLY BY FALLING OBJECTS. IN WESTERN GUANGDONG, FIVE PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE. A SUNNY SPELL LASTED FROM JULY 9 UNTIL JULY 17. THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 33.3 DEGREES CELSIUS ON JULY 17 WAS THE HIGHEST OF THE YEAR. THERE WERE THUNDERSTORMS ON JULY 22 AND 23 AS THE REMNANT OF SEVERE TROPICAL STORM MAURY MOVED ALONG THE SOUTH CHINA COAST AFTER HITTING TAIBEI. MORE THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRED ON JULY 27 CAUSING FLOODING AND MINOR LANDSLIPS IN VARIOUS PARTS OF HONG KONG. IN SICHUAN, VIOLENT RAINSTORMS BETWEEN JULY 9 AND 14 CAUSED THE PROVINCE'S WORST FLOODS OF THE CENTURY. ABOUT 750 PEOPLE WERE DROWNED AND 1.5 MILLION PEOPLE MADE HOMELESS. THERE WERE ALSO SERIOUS FLOODS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF INDIA AND ABOUT 15 MILLION PEOPLE WERE AFFECTED.

AUGUST 1981 WAS THE FOURTH DRIEST AUGUST ON RECORD. HOWEVER, SERIOUS FLOODS AFFECTED NORTHERN THAILAND, BURMA, JAPAN, KOREA AND ALSO THE SHAANXI, SICHUAN AND LIAONING PROVINCES OF CHINA. AUGUST 1981 WAS ALSO THE SECOND HOTTEST AUGUST ON RECORD WITH A MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 29.1 DEGREES CELSIUS. NINE TROPICAL CYCLONES DEVELOPED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DURING THE MONTH. WINDS FRESHENED ON AUGUST 8 AS TROPICAL STORM ROY CROSSED THE SOUTH CHINA SEA. TEMPERATURES ROSE TO A MAXIMUM OF 33.3 DEGREES CELSIUS ON AUGUST 21 AND 26, WHICH WAS THE SAME AS ON JULY 17 AND THE HIGHEST OF THE YEAR.

SEPTEMBER WAS WETTER, CLOUDIER AND SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN USUAL. THE TOTAL DURATION OF SUNSHINE DURING THE MONTH WAS 132.3 HOURS, WHICH IS THE THIRD LOWEST ON RECORD FOR SEPTEMBER. A FISHING JUNK FOUNDERED IN SQUALLY THUNDERSTORMS ABOUT 50 NAUTICAL MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF HONG KONG ON SEPTEMBER 3. THE FISHERMEN WERE ALL SAVED. TYPHOON CLARA CAUSED A PERIOD OF STRONG NORTHWESTERLY WINDS DURING THE NIGHT OF SEPTEMBER 21. IT CROSSED THE CHINA COAST NEAR SHANWEI ON SEPTEMBER 22 CAUSING THE DEATH CF 62 PEOPLE IN SOUTH CHINA. ANOTHER JUNK CAPSIZED IN SQUALLY THUNDERSTORMS ABOUT 40 NAUTICAL MILES EAST OF HONG KONG ON SEPTEMBER 24. THREE PEOPLE WERE DROWNED. WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS AND VIOLENT SHOWERS OCCURRED EARLY ON SEPTEMBER 29, MAKING IT THE LETTEST DAY THIS YEAR. THE PE-VI TOT SANPOUR OCCURRED BETWEEN 2 AM AND 4 AM WHEN 13.0 FECORDED AT HONG KONG AIRPORT. THERE WERE NUMEROUS PEPORTS OF FLOODING, LANDSLIPS AND ROAD SUBSIDENC

6E PEOPLE WERE

YE

п

RAINFALL WERE

KILLED.

OC. BER WAS **