XN000022-1986-01-19 — Page 9

8

SUNDAY, JANUARY 19, 1986

ABNORMAL, CHANGEABLE AND UNSETTLED WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE EXPERIENCED IN FEBRUARY WITH A NUMBER OF METEOROLOGICAL ELEMENTS GIVING EXCEPTIONAL RECORDS.

THE EARLIEST HAIL OCCURRENCE IN HONG KONG AND THE RECORD LOW OF THE MEAN ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE FOR FEBRUARY WERE SET IN THE MONTH.

THE TOTAL RAINFALL OF 218.8 MM AND THE TOTAL NUMBER OF RAIN

25 ALTOGETHER -- WERE THE SECOND HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR

DAYS FEBRUARY.

A FLOOD WARNING WAS ISSUED IN FEBRUARY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE YEAR. THE UNSETTLED WEATHER IN THE EARLY PART OF THE MONTH WAS DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF AN ACTIVE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WHICH ALSO AFFECTED BROAD AREAS OF SOUTHERN CHINA.

THE REST OF THE MONTH WAS AFFECTED BY FREQUENT SURGES OF COLD AIR CAUSING CLOUDY WEATHER AND RAIN AT TIMES. AS A RESULT OF THE ADVERSE WEATHER, 10 AIRCRAFT WERE DIVERTED FROM HONG KONG DURING THE MONTH.

MARCH WAS CLOUDIER AND COOLER THAN USUAL. THE MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 16.7 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS 1.8 DEGREES CELSIUS BELOW NORMAL.

IN MARCH, THE CONTINENTAL ANTICYCLONE WAS STILL PREVALENT RESULTING IN THE SLIGHTLY COOLER WEATHER. A SURGE OF WINTER MONSOON IN MID-MARCH CAUSED THE TEMPERATURE TO DROP TO A MINIMUM OF 10.6 DEGREES CELSIUS. ANOTHER SURGE AT THE END OF THE MONTH BROUGHT SQUALLY THUNDERSTORMS AND PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN TO HONG KONG.

HAILSTORMS CAUSING CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE WERE REPORTED IN

THE NEARBY DISTRICTS OF GUANGDONG PROVINCE.

APRIL WAS WETTER THAN USUAL WITH SIX DAYS IN THE MONTH EACH. RECORDING MORE THAN 30 MM OF RAINFALL. THE TOTAL RAINFALL WAS ALMOST TWICE THE NORMAL VALUE OF 139.4 MM.

MARBLE-SIZED HAILSTONES WERE REPORTED IN THE URBAN AREA AND IN THE NEW TERRITORIES ON APRIL 10. THE OCCURRENCE OF HAIL WAS ALSO REPORTED IN CANTON AND VARIOUS PARTS OF GUANGDONG PROVINCE.

THE CONTINUOUS WET SPELL IN THE SECOND WEEK OF APRIL CAUSED FLOODING AND MINOR LANDSLIPS.

THE MONTH WAS ALSO COOLER THAN USUAL. THE MEAN TEMPERATURE WAS 1.6 DEGREES CELSIUS BELOW THE NORMAL OF 22.1 DEGREES CELSIUS.

MAY WAS WARMER AND DRIER THAN USUAL. THE MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 26.8 DEGREES CELSIUS WHICH RANKED THE SIXTH HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR MAY WAS 0.9 DEGREE CELSIUS ABOVE NORMAL.

/A SPELL