XN000022-1983-01-30 — Page 6

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 1983

THERE WAS NO REPORT OF DAMAGE IN HONG KONG.

THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 34.8 DEGREES CELSIUS RECORDED ON JULY 29 WAS THE HIGHEST OF THE YEAR.

AFTER AUGUST, SEPTEMBER CONTINUED TO BE WETTER THAN NORMAL, WITH THE TOTAL RAINFALL OF 466.8 MM, BEING 46 PER CENT ABOVE NORMAL.

THE STRONG MONSOON SIGNAL WARNING WAS DISPLAYED FOR A RECORD DURATION OF 74 HOURS FROM 3.45 AM ON SEPTEMBER 5 TO 5.45 AM ON SEPTEMBER 8.

TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE HOISTED DURING THE APPROACH OF TYPHOON IRVING WHICH CAME WITHIN 400 NAUTICAL MILES OF HONG KONG ON SEPTEMBER 11 AND LANDED IN GUANGXI ON SEPTEMBER 15 AFTER CROSSING THE LEIZHOU PENINSULA.

ALTHOUGH WINDS IN HONG KONG WERE GENERALLY STRONG OFF SHORE ON SEPTEMBER 13, THERE WERE NO REPORTS OF DAMAGE.

OCTOBER WAS ALSO WETTER THAN NORMAL. THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL OF 3 151.7 MM FOR THE FIRST TEN MONTHS OF THE YEAR WAS LARGER THAN THE PREVIOUS RECORD ANNUAL RAINFALL OF 3 100.4 MM ESTABLISHED IN 1973. TYPHOON NANCY CAME WITHIN 400 NAUTICAL MILES OF HONG KONG ON OCTOBER 15 AFTER CROSSING NORTHERN LUZON AND LANDED IN VIETNAM ON OCTOBER 19.

IT WAS THE LAST TROPICAL CYCLONE IN THE YEAR FOR WHICH TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE DISPLAYED IN HONG KONG.

NOVEMBER WAS THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE MONTH WITH ABOVE-AVERAGE RAINFALL. THE FIGURE OF 95.8 MM WAS 176 PER CENT ABOVE NORMAL.

THE MONTH WAS ALSO MORE HUMID THAN NORMAL WITH AN AVERAGE RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF 77 PER CENT, THE THIRD HIGHEST RECORD FOR NOVEMBER.

FOUR COLD SURGES AFFECTED HONG KONG AND TEMPERATURES DROPPED APPRECIABLY ON NOVEMBER 30 TO THE MONTH'S LOWEST OF 12.9 DEGREES CELSIUS.

DOMINATED BY THE CONTINENTAL ANTICYCLONE OVER CHINA, THE WEATHER DURING DECEMBER WAS DRIER AND COOLER THAN NORMAL.

THERE WAS ONLY A TRACE OF RAINFALL AND THE MONTH WAS THE THIRD DRIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD.

A MAJOR SURGE OF THE WINTER MONSOON ARRIVED IN HONG KONG ON CHRISTMAS DAY AND BROUGHT THE TEMPERATURE AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY DOWN TO 8.9 DEGREES CELSIUS ON DECEMBER 27, THE LOWEST OF THE YEAR.

DURING THIS COLD SPELL, THE LOWEST TEMPERATURES AT TATE'S CAIRN AND TAI MO SHAN WERE 2.4 DEGREES CELSIUS AND ZERO DEGREE CELSIUS AND HOAR FROST WAS REPORTED IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE NEW TERRITORIES.

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