XN000022-1985-04-11 — Page 4

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HURSDAY, APRIL 11, 1985

THE MONTH'S MEAN ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, 1 018.2 MILLI BARS, WAS THE FIFTH HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR MARCH.

THE WEATHER WAS OVERCAST WITH FOG AND DRIZZLE FROM MARCH 1 TO 3 UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A MOIST EAST TO SOUTHEASTERLY AIRSTREAM. BOTH FERRY AND AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES WERE DISRUPTED.

IT WAS CLOUDY WITH MIST ON MARCH 4, A COLD FRONT

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WHICH FORMED OVER SOUTH CHINA ON MARCH 2, PASSED TO THE SOUTH OF HONG KONG LATE ON MARCH 4 AND THE MIST WAS CLEARED.

IT WAS CLOUDY WITH A TRACE OF LIGHT RAIN ON MARCH 5 BUT THERE WERE ALSO SUNNY INTERVALS IN THE AFTERNOON.

THE WEATHER WAS CLOUDY WITH SUNNY INTERVALS FROM MARCH 6 TO 8 ALTHOUGH THERE WAS DRIZZLE IN THE MORNING OF MARCH 8.

CLOUDY WEATHER WITH FOG AND DRIZZLE RETURNED EARLY ON MARCH 9. FOG CLEARED ON THE ARRIVAL OF A COLD FRONT LATER DURING THE DAY. IT REMAINED CLOUDY ON MARCH 10 BUT THERE WERE ALSO SUNNY INTERVALS.

ANOTHER COLD FRONT CROSSED THE SOUTH CHINA COAST EARLY ON MARCH 11 AND BROUGHT OVERCAST CONDITIONS WHICH PERSISTED UP TO MARCH 15. IT WAS COLD WITH LIGHT RAIN AT TIMES FROM MARCH 12 TO 15. A SURGE OF THE WINTER MONSOON ARRIVED ON MARCH 14 AND THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO A MINIMUM OF 10.6 DEGREES CELSIUS, THE LOWEST OF THE MONTH.

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THE WEATHER WAS FINE ON MARCH 16 AND IT BECAME MILDER. CLOUDY WEATHER AGAIN SET IN ON MARCH 17 AND, APART FROM SOME SUNNY INTERVALS IN THE AFTERNOON ON MARCH 18 AND 19, CONTINUED UP TO MARCH 22. IT TURNED FINE AND SUNNY IN THE MORNING OF MARCH 23 AND THE WEATHER REMAINED FINE UP TO MARCH 25.

A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE FORMED OVER CENTRAL CHINA IN THE EVENING OF MARCH 24 AND MOVED SLOWLY SOUTHWARDS. ON MARCH 26. UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A WARM AND MOIST AIRSTREAM FROM THE SOUTH CHINA SEA, THE WEATHER WAS CLOUDY WITH MIST AND DRIZZLE AT FIRST AND COASTAL FOG APPEARED LATER IN THE EVENING,

FOGGY CONDITIONS CONTINUED ON MARCH 27 AND 28 DISRUPTING FERRY AND AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES. THE TEMPERATURE ROSE TO A MAXIMUM OF 24.9 DEGREES CELSIUS ON MARCH 28, THE HIGHEST OF THE MONTH,

IN THE MORNING OF MARCH 27 A CHINESE PASSENGER FERRY, RED STAR 283, SAILING FROM JIANGMEN TO GUANGZHOU, CAPSIZED IN XI JI ANG NEAR JIANGWEI, 16 KM FROM JIANGMEN, IN THUNDERY SQUALLY WEATHER. DURING THE INCIDENT, 73 PEOPLE WERE DROWNED AND TWO WERE MISSING. THERE WERE ALSÓ REPORTS OF HAIL CAUSING CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE IN NEARBY DISTRICTS IN THE PROVINCE.

/THE TROUGH