XN000022-1983-01-30 — Page 5

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 1983

BUT THEY BROUGHT NO PERSISTENT GALES AND LITTLE DAMAGE TO HONG KONG, ALTHOUGH WARNING SIGNALS WERE DISPLAYED FOR FIVE OF THE CYCLONES.

JANUARY WAS WARMER AND DRIER THAN USUAL, WITH THE TEMPERATURE STAYING ABOVE 11.5 DEGREES CELSIUS AND THE MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 16.9 DEGREES CELSIUS, BEING 1.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. EVEN THOUGH FIRE DANGER WARNINGS WERE ISSUED ON 22 DAYS, FIRE BROKE OUT IN VARIOUS SQUATTER AREAS, MAKING ABOUT 9 000 PEOPLE HOMELESS.

FEBRUARY WAS CLOUDY AND HUMID. FOG DEVELOPED IN THE EVENING OF FEBRUARY 19 AND PERSISTED FOR SEVERAL DAYS, DIVERTING AIRCRAFT FROM HONG KONG AND DISRUPTING FERRY AND HOVERCRAFT SERVICES.

A FISHING JUNK SANK AFTER COLLIDING WITH A CONTAINER SHIP IN FOG SOUTH OF PO TOI ISLAND ON FEBRUARY 23. ON FEBRUARY 24, A COLD FRONT ARRIVED IN HONG KONG AND CLEARED THE FOG.

A FISHING JUNK SANK IN ROUGH SEAS IN TATHONG CHANNEL ON FEBRUARY 25 WHILE THE STRONG MONSOON SIGNAL WAS HOISTED.

THE MEAN TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 15.9 DEGREES CELSIUS AND THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WAS 10.2 DEGREES CELSIUS.

FOG MARCH WAS WARMER, CLOUD IER AND MORE HUMID THAN USUAL. WAS REPORTED AT HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT EVERY MORNING FROM MARCH 5 TO 7, DIVERTING SEVEN AIRCRAFT FROM HONG KONG AND AFFECTING FERRY SERVICES.

THE FOLLOWING MONTH WAS THE SEVENTH WETTEST APRIL ON RECORD. THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY SHOWERS DURING THE LAST NINE DAYS BROUGHT THE MONTH'S RAINFALL TO A TOTAL OF 310 MM, MORE THAN DOUBLE THE NORMAL AMOUNT.

AFTER MAY, THE FOURTH WETTEST ON RECORD FOR THE MONTH, THE TOTAL RAINFALL OF 205.9 MM FOR JUNE WAS HALF THE NORMAL FIGURE.

TOWARDS THE END OF THE MONTH, TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE DISPLAYED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE YEAR DURING THE APPROACH OF TROPICAL STORM TESS WHICH FORMED OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ON JUNE 27, RECURVED NEAR HAINAN ON JUNE 29 AND DISSIPATED NEAR DONGSHA ON JULY 2.

IN JULY, TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE HOISTED ON TWO OCCASIONS DURING THE APPROACH OF SEVERE TROPICAL STORM WINONA AND TYPHOON ANDY,

WINONA FORMED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC TO THE EAST OF THE PHILIPPINES ON JULY 12, AND CROSSED LUZON AND THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA BEFORE REACHING LEIZHOU PENINSULA ON JULY 17.

ANDY FORMED NEAR GUAM ON JULY 22, CROSSED SOUTHERN TAIWAN AND LANDED IN SOUTHEAST CHINA ON JULY 30.

THERE WAS ............