XN000022-1986-01-19 — Page 11

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, 1996

TYPHOON TESS CAME CLOSE TO HONG KONG ON SEPTEMBER 6, CAUSING

DURING THE GALE FORCE WINDS AND FREQUENT SQUALLY HEAVY SHOWERS. APPROACH OF TESS, TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND THERE WERE LANDSLIPS AND FLOODS IN VARIOUS PARTS OF HONG KONG.

FLOODING WAS MORE SERIOUS IN THE NORTHWESTERN PART OF THE NEW TERRITORIES. AMONG THE WORST AFFECTED AREAS WERE KAM TIN, PAT HEUNG, NGAU TAM MEI, SHEUNG SHUI AND TAI PO.

LANDSLIPS OCCURRED IN SHEUNG WAN, SHAU KEI WAN, KWUN TONG,

SAI KUNG, SHA TIN AND TSUEN WAN.

FERRY SERVICES WERE SUSPENDED AND AT THE AIRPORT, TWO AIRCRAFT WERE DIVERTED FROM HONG KONG, 10 FLIGHTS CANCELLED AND 50 DELAYED.

TROPICAL STORM VAL ENTERED THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ON SEPTEMBER 17 BUT DISSIPATED THE FOLLOWING DAY ABOUT 240 NAUTICAL MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF HONG KONG WITHOUT CAUSING ANY DAMAGE TO THE TERRITORY. A WATERSPOUT WAS SIGHTED OVER THE SEA SOUTH OF WONG MA KOK, STANLEY PENINSULA, AT 9.35 AM ON SEPTEMBER 21.

OCTOBER WAS WARNER AND DRIER THAN USUAL. THE MONTH'S MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 25.8 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS THE SEVENTH HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR OCTOBER, THE TOTAL RAINFALL OF THE MONTH AMOUNTED TO ONLY 56.1 MM, WHICH WAS 54 PER CENT BELOW THE NORMAL VALUE OF 121.2 MM.

TYPHOON DOT ENTERED THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ON OCTOBER 19 AFTER CROSSING LUZON. UNDER THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF DOT AND THE WINTER MONSOON, STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS WERE EXPERIENCED OFFSHORE AND IN EXPOSED PLACES IN THE NEXT TWO DAYS.

NOVEMBER WAS AGAIN WARMER THAN USUAL. THE MONTH'S MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 22.4 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS THE SIXTH HIGHEST ON RECORD WHILE THE MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 20.6 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS THE THIRD HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR NOVEMBER.

DECEMBER WAS SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN USUAL. THE MONTH'S MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 19.7 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS 1.1 DEGREES CELSIUS BELOW NORMAL. A PROLONGED SPELL OF DRY AND COLD WEATHER OCCURRED AROUND THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH.

THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY RECORDED AT THE ROYAL OBSERV TORY FELL TO 22 PER CENT ON DECEMBER 15 WHEN NUMEROUS HILL FIRES RE REPORTED.

TEMPERATURES FELL TO O DEGREE CELSIUS AT TA KWU LING ON DECEMBER 17 AND HOARFROST WAS REPORTED AT TA KWU LING, SHEUNG SHUI AND FANLING.

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