XN000022-1983-11-30 — Page 5

!

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1983

RECORD HIGH DAILY MEAN TEMPERATURE FOR OCTOBER

****

THE DAILY MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 26.4 DEGREES CELSIUS LAST MONTH WAS THE HIGHEST FOR ANY OCTOBER ON RECORD. ACCORDING TO THE OCTOBER WEATHER REPORT PUBLISHED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY.

AND THE MEAN DAILY MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 28.9 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS THE SECOND HIGHEST ON RECORD SINCE 1884.

OTHER NOTABLE FEATURES ABOUT OCTOBER WERE THAT

* IT WAS CLOUDIER AND WETTER THAN USUAL, WITH THE MEAN CLOUDINESS OF 71 PER CENT BEING THE SECOND HIGHEST FOR ANY OCTOBER, AND

* THE TOTAL MONTHLY RAINFALL OF 227.4 MM WAS NEARLY

90 PER CENT ABOVE AVERAGE.

FOR MOST OF THE MONTH THE WEATHER WAS MIXED,

THERE WERE SUNNY PERIODS, BUT FOR MOST OF THE TIME IT WAS CLOUDY, WITH PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN AND SHOWERS, AS WELL AS OCCASIONAL FRESH TO STRONG WINDS, IN ADDITION TO GALE FORCE WINDS CAUSED BY TYPHOON JOE.

TYPHOON JOE, WHICH HAD FORMED EAST OF THE PHILIPPINES ON OCTOBER 10, MOVED CLOSER ON OCTOBER 13 AND BROUGHT ABOUT A RAPID DETERIORATION IN THE WEATHER. THERE WAS WIDESPREAD RAIN, WHICH WAS HEAVY AT TIMES, OCCURRING THROUGHOUT THE DAY, AS WELL AS SERIOUS FLOODING AND MINOR LANDSLIPS IN VARIOUS PARTS OF HONG KONG.

TYPHOON JOE PASSED ABOUT 100 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHWEST OF HONG KONG ON OCTOBER 13, AND DISSIPATED OVER GUANGDONG THE FOLLOWING DAY.

EIGHT TROPICAL CYCLONES OCCURRED OVER THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DURING THE MONTH.

ALSO, DURING THE MONTH, 21 AIRCRAFT WERE DIVERTED FROM HONG KONG DUE TO ADVERSE WEATHER. A THUNDERSTORM WARNING WAS ISSUED, AS WERE FLOOD AND LANDSLIP WARNINGS, AND THE YELLOW FIRE DANGER WARNING ON A NUMBER OF DAYS, AND A MORE SERIOUS RED FIRE WARNING EARLIER IN THE MONTH.

SIGNALS HOISTED DURING THE MONTH WERE AS FOLLOWS:

WEATHER SYSTEM

SIGNAL

DATE AND TIME OF HOISTING

WINTER MONSOON

STRONG MONSOON

1 OCTOBER

11.10 AM

WINTER MONSOON

STRONG MONSOON

2 OCTOBER 5.00 PM

DATE AND TIME OF LOWERING

2 OCTOBER

10.05 AM

4 OCTOBER 8.00 AM

WINTER HON SOON