XN000022-1986-11-15 — Page 12

11

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1986

OCTOBER DRIER THAN USUAL

*****

OCTOBER THIS YEAR WAS DRIER THAN USUAL WITH THE TOTAL RAINFALL OF 61.3 MILLIMETRES REPRESENTING ONLY 51 PER CENT OF THE NORMAL AMOUNT, THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY ANNOUNCED TODAY (SATURDAY).

AND WITH THE ARRIVAL OF AN INTENSE SURGE OF THE WINTER MONSOON ON OCTOBER 28 THE WEATHER IN HONG KONG BECAME NOTICEABLY COOLER TOWARDS THE END OF THE MONTH.

OCTOBER 1 STARTED CLOUDY WITH SOME LIGHT RAIN, BUT THE WEATHER TURNED FINE LATER IN THE AFTERNOON, FINE AND SUNNY WEATHER PREVAILED FROM OCTOBER 2 TO 9 APART FROM A FEW ISOLATED SHOWERS ON OCTOBER 8.

THE WEATHER ON OCTOBER 10 TO 12 WAS CLOUDY WITH PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF A WEAK SURGE OF THE WINTER MONSOON. HOWEVER, SUNNY PERIODS RETURNED IN THE AFTERNOON OF OCTOBER 12 AND FINE WEATHER PREVAILED FOR THE FOLLOWING THREE DAYS.

THE TEMPERATURE ROSE TO A MAXIMUM OF 30.4 DEGREES CELSIUS ON OCTOBER 15, THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED DURING THE MONTH.

THE WEATHER IN HONG KONG BEGAN TO DETERIORATE WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS ON OCTOBER 16 AS WINDS STRENGTHENED WITH TYPHOON ELLEN APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTHEAST. CONDITIONS BECAME OVERCAST WITH SQUALLY SHOWERS WHICH WERE HEAVY AT TIMES, AND SUCH CONDITIONS REMAINED UNTIL OCTOBER 19.

ON OCTOBER 19 AS A DRY AIRSTREAM FROM THE CONTINENTAL ANTICYCLONE ARRIVED LATER IN THE DAY, THE WEATHER IMPROVED AND THERE WERE SUNNY INTERVALS. HOWEVER, WINDS REMAINED FRESH TO STRONG IN EXPOSED PLACES.

IT WAS FINE AND SUNNY ON OCTOBER 20 AND 21.

AN EASTERLY SURGE OF THE WINTER MONSOON ARRIVED ON THE AFTERNOON OF OCTOBER 22 AND THE WEATHER BECAME CLOUDY. STRONG EASTERLY WINDS WERE EXPERIENCED IN EXPOSED PLACES AND OFFSHORE DURING THE NIGHT AND CONTINUED UNTIL THE AFTERNOON OF OCTOBER 23.

CLOUDY CONDITIONS PREVAILED UNTIL OCTOBER 25 AND A TRACE OF LIGHT RAIN WAS RECORDED ON OCTOBER 24. HOWEVER, SUNNY WEATHER RETURNED ON THE AFTERNOON OF OCTOBER 25 AND IT WAS MAINLY FINE DURING THE NEXT TWO DAYS.

/A COLD