XN000022-1987-01-18 — Page 13

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 1987

JANUARY WAS GENERALLY FINE AND SUNNY WITH NO MEASURABLE RAINFALL. IT WAS THE SECOND DRIEST JANUARY SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1884.

FEBRUARY WAS COLDER AND WETTER THAN USUAL. THE MONTH'S MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 14.7 DEGREES WAS 1.2 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL WHILE THE TOTAL RAINFALL OF 68.8 MM WAS 64 PER CENT ABOVE THE NORMAL AMOUNT FOR THE MONTH.

THE WINTER MONSOON WAS ACTIVE IN MARCH. A RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE OF 4.8 DEGREES FOR THE MONTH WAS SET ON MARCH 1. HOAR FROST WAS REPORTED AT TAI MO SHAN AND TATE'S CAIRN ON THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE MONTH AND TEMPERATURES THERE DROPPED TO -4.0 DEGREES AND -0.5 DEGREE RESPECTIVELY ON MARCH 2.

THE MONTH WAS ALSO CHARACTERISED BY THE FREQUENT OCCURRENCE OF FOG. COASTAL FOG WAS EXPERIENCED ON 15 DAYS, EQUALLING THE RECORD SET IN MARCH 1980.

UNDER THE CONTINUED INFLUENCE OF A MOIST SOUTHEASTERLY AIRSTREAM, SEA FOG OCCURRED ON THE MORNINGS OF APRIL 10 AND 11 DISRUPTING FERRY SERVICES. TWO FERRIES WERE INVOLVED IN A MINÓR COLLISION DURING FOG.

THUNDERY SHOWERS ON APRIL 21 AND 22 CAUSED LANDSLIPS IN SEVERAL DISTRICTS. TOTAL RAINFALL RECORDED ON THESE TWO DAYS AMOUNTED TO 106.3 MM, ACCOUNTING FOR MORE THAN 90 PER CENT OF THE MONTH'S TOTAL.

ALTHOUGH THE TOTAL RAINFALL FOR THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS OF THE YEAR WAS BELOW NORMAL, THE RAINFALL IN MAY WAS MORE THAN SUFFICIENT TO MAKE UP THE DEFICIT. THE TOTAL RAINFALL RECORDED FOR THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS WAS 615.0 MM, WHICH WAS 10 PER CENT ABOVE THE NORMAL AMOUNT.

A CONTINUOUS HEAVY DOWNPOUR AND SQUALLY THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTED HONG KONG ON MAY 11 AS AN ACTIVE LOW PRESSURE AREA APPROACHED. OVER 200 MM OF RAINFALL WERE RECORDED IN TAI LAM CHUNG, TAI MO SHAN AND TAI PO. THE HEAVY DOWNPOUR CONTINUED ON MAY 12 AND 48 CASES OF FLOODING AND SEVEN LANDSLIPS WERE REPORTED.

JUNE WAS NORMAL FOR TEMPERATURE, CLOUDINESS AND PRECIPITATION. A TOTAL OF 415.9 MM OF RAINFALL WAS RECORDED, COMPARED WITH THE MONTH'S NORMAL OF 431.8 MM. HOWEVER IT WAS UNEVENLY DISTRIBUTED AND RAINFALL ON TWO DAYS - JUNE 6 AND 25

JUNE 6 AND 25 - ACCOUNTED FOR 58 PER CENT OF THE MONTH'S TOTAL.

RAINY WEATHER CONTINUED AFTER THE DOWNPOUR OF JUNE 6, LEADING TO MINOR FLOODING AND A LANDSLIP.

/JULY WAS