XN000022-1986-09-14 — Page 5

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1986

AUGUST WARMER AND DRIER, DESPITE WAYNE

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THE MONTHLY MEAN AUGUST WAS HOTTER AND DRIER THAN USUAL. TEMPERATURE OF 29.0 DEGREES CELSIUS WAS THE THIRD HIGHEST ON RECORD WHILE THE TOTAL RAINFALL OF 274.9 MM WAS ONLY 66 PER CENT OF THE NORMAL AMOUNT, THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY REPORTED TODAY.

HOWEVER, THUNDERSTORMS WERE FREQUENT OVER THE TERRITORY, AND OCCURRED ON 11 DAYS,

DURING THE FIRST EIGHT DAYS OF THE MONTH, THE WEATHER WAS FINE AND HOT APART FROM SOME SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.

ON AUGUST 9, A LOW PRESSURE AREA TO THE NORTHEAST OF XISHA DEVELOPED INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION AND MOVED WEST-NORTHWESTWARDS TOWARDS HAINAN.

WINDS IN HONG KONG FRESHENED OVERNIGHT AND SQUALLY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTED THE TERRITORY.

AS THE TROPICAL DEPRESSION MOVED CLOSER TO HONG KONG, WINDS BECAME GENERALLY STRONG BY LATE AFTERNOON ON AUGUST 10 AND DID NOT MODERATE UNTIL THE MORNING ON AUGUST 11 WHEN THE TROPICAL DEPRESSION MOVED WESTWARDS ACROSS, HAINAN.

THE TROPICAL DEPRESSION BROUGHT FREQUENT SQUALLY SHOWERS AND PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN TO THE TERRITORY, AND OVER 300 MM OF RAINFALL WERE RECORDED AT TAI PO, SHA TAU KOK AND SAI KUNG.

THE WEATHER IMPROVED ON AUGUST 12 AND REMAINED GENERALLY FINE AND HOT FROM AUGUST 13 TO 19 APART FROM EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ON AUGUST 16 AND A FEW SHOWERS DURING THE AFTERNOON OF AUGUST 17.

ON AUGUST 18. AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA TO THE WEST OF LUZON DEVELOPED INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION CALLED WAYNE.

WAYNE CONTINUED TO INTENSIFY WHILE MOVING NORTHWESTWARDS TOWARDS WESTERN GUANGDONG.

THE STAND-BY SIGNAL, NO. 1, WAS HOISTED AT 11.30 AM ON AUGUST 19 WHEN SEVERE TROPICAL STORM WAYNE WAS ABOUT 590 KM SOUTH OF HONG KONG.

IT FURTHER INTENSIFIED INTO A TYPHOON IN THE AFTERNOON AND TOOK A NORTHERLY COURSE IN THE MORNING OF AUGUST 20.

THE STRONG WIND SIGNAL, NO. 3, WAS HOISTED AT 11 AM WHEN WAYNE WAS CENTRED ABOUT 270 KM SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF HONG KONG.

LOCAL WINDS FRESHENED FROM THE EAST AND BECAME GENERALLY STRONG FROM THE NORTHEAST BY LATE EVENING.

/ALTHOUGH