XN000022-1982-03-13 — Page 8

SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1982

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THE WEATHER IN FEBRUARY

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FEBRUARY WAS CLOUDIER AND MORE HUMID THAN USUAL AND HAD A TOTAL OF 64.1 HOURS OF SUNSHINE 44.6 HOURS BELOW NORMAL, THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY SAID IN ITS MONTHLY WEATHER SUMMARY TODAY (SATURDAY).

THE MONTH'S TOTAL RAINFALL OF 23.1 MM WAS 18.8 MM BELOW NORMAL WHICH BROUGHT THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL FOR THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF THIS YEAR TO 39.1 MM, 29.7 MM BELOW AVERAGE.

DURING THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE MONTH, IT WAS MAINLY FINE BUT ON FEBRUARY 2, EASTERLY WINDS FRESHENED AND THE WEATHER TURNED CLOUDY WITH TRACES OF RAIN ON THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE WEATHER BECAME FINE AGAIN ON FEBRUARY 4.

COASTAL FOG OCCURRED EARLY ON FEBRUARY 5 BUT THIS WAS CLEARED BY THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT WHICH BROUGHT IN FRESH EASTERLY WINDS. AS A RESULT, A CLOUDY SPELL ENSUED, LASTING UNTIL FEBRUARY 16 AND RAIN WAS RECORDED EVERY DAY THROUGHOUT THIS PERIOD, EXCEPT FEBRUARY 6 AND 11.

THE WEATHER WAS RATHER COLD BETWEEN FEBRUARY 11 AND 16 AS WINDS TURNED NORTHERLY ON FEBRUARY 9 AND FRESHENED ON FEBRUARY 11. TEMPERATURES EACH DAY FELL TO BELOW 12 DEGREES CELSIUS.

THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY OF 10.2 DEGREES CELSIUS, THE LOWEST OF THE MONTH, WAS RECORDED ON FEBRUARY 15. ON THE SAME MORNING, A MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 2.5 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS RECORDED AT TAI MO SHAN.

FOLLOWING A SUNNY DAY ON FEBRUARY 17, THE WEATHER TURNED CLOUDY. SOME FOG LATER DEVELOPED IN THE EVENING OF FEBRUARY 19 AND THE VISIBILITY AT THE AIRPORT WAS REDUCED TO 200 METRES AROUND 11 PM. FERRY AND HOVERCRAFT SERVICES WERE DISRUPTED AS COASTAL FOG PERSISTED ON FEBRUARY 20 AND 21.

THE VISIBILITY AT TAI O DROPPED TO 50 METRES IN THE MORNING OF FEBRUARY 20. NEVERTHELESS, THE WEATHER WAS FINE AND WARM AND TEMPERATURES ROSE TO A MAXIMUM OF 24 DEGREES CELSIUS ON FEBRUARY 20 AND 21, THE HIGHEST OF THE MONTH.

ON FEBRUARY 22, EASTERLY WINDS STRENGTHENED OFFSHORE AND DISPERSED THE FOG. THERE WAS ALSO SOME RAIN.

HOWEVER, ON FEBRUARY 23, WINDS TURNED SOUTHEASTERLY AND MORE COASTAL FOG DEVELOPED. A FISHING JUNK SANK AFTER COLLISION WITH A CONTAINER SHIP IN THICK FOG SOUTH OF PO TOI ISLAND. ALL FOUR PERSONS ON BOARD WERE SAVED.

EARLY ON FEBRUARY 24, ANOTHER COLD FRONT WITH NORTHERLY WINDS CLEARED THE FOG. WINDS TÚRNED EASTERLY AND STRENGTHENED ON FEBRUARY 25 WHEN ANOTHER FISHING JUNK FROM TAIWAN SANK IN ROUGH SEAS IN TATHONG CHANNEL. THE CREW OF FIVE WERE SAVED. THE WEATHER REMAINED CLOUDY AND COOL ON FEBRUARY 26.

THERE WAS RAIN