XN000022-1987-07-12 — Page 11

SUNDAY, JULY 12, 1987

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TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING SIGNALS WERE HOISTED FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR DURING THE APPROACH OF TROPICAL STORM RUTH ON JUNE 18.

UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WHICH CROSSED THE SOUTH CHINA COAST ON THE EVENING OF JUNE 1, THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH WAS CLOUDY WITH OCCASIONAL THUNDERY SHOWERS. TWO FINZ DAYS FOLLOWED BEFORE WEATHER TURNED OVERCAST WITH THUNDERY SHOWERS AGAIN.

AN UPPER-AIR DISTURBANCE MOVED IN FROM THE WEST AND BROUGHT A TOTAL OF 87.3 MM OF RAIN TO THE ROYA). OBSERVATORY ON JUNE 4 AND 5. MINOR LANDSLIPS WERE REPORTED AT WONG TAI SIN, SAI KUNG AND HAPPY VALLEY ON JUNE 5.

THESE NOTWITHSTANDING, HONG KONG WAS SPARED OF THE TORRENTIAL RAIN THAT SOMEHOW STOPPED SHORT TO OUR WEST.

ACCORDING TO PRESS REPORTS, HEAVY RAIN IN THE WESTERN PART OF GUANGDONG PROVINCE FROM JUNE 4 TO 6 CAUSED WIDESPREAD FLOODING AND DAMAGE. A TOTAL OF 70,700 HECTARES OF FARMLAND WERE INUNDATED WITH 80,000 HOUSES DESTROYED. IT WAS ALSO REPORTED THAT 22 PEOPLE KILLED AND 268 INJURED.

5.

ON

WERE

JUNB

A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPED OVER CENTRAL CHINA IT MOVED STEADILY SOUTHWARDS AND INTENSIFIED INTO A COLD FRONT ON THE MORNING OF JUNE 7 BEFORE CROSSING THE SOUTH CHINA COAST LATER THAT EVENING, GIVING RISE TO THUNDERSTORMS IN HONG KONG.

MAINLY

AFTER THIS COLD FRONT PASSAGE, TEMPERATURES DROPPED TO A MINIMUM OF 21.4 DEGREES CELSIUS MAKING THE MORNING OF JUNE 8 THE COOLEST OF THE MONTH. WEATHER IMPROVED SLOWLY AND IT REMAINED CLOUDY ON JUNE 8 AND 9. THEREAFTER, FINE AND SUNNY WEATHER PREVAILED IN HONG KONG, FROM JUNE 10 TO 15.

ANOTHER TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPED OVER CENTRAL CHINA ON JUNE 13. IT LATER TURNED INTO A WEAK COLD FRONT TO CROSS THE SOUTH CHINA COAST BY JUNE 15. WEATHER IN HONG KONG WAS SHOWERY DURING THE NEXT THREE DAYS.

TROPICAL STORM RUTH FORMED OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ON JUNE 18. IT MOVED NORTHWESTWARDS AND CROSSED THE SOUTH CHINA COAST ABOUT 290 KM TO THE WEST OF HONG KONG ON THE FOLLOWING DAY. DURING THE APPROACH OF RUTH THERE WERE GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY SHOWERS AND NECESSITATED THE HOISTING OF THE STAND BY SIGNAL NO. 1.

FROM JUNE 21 TO 30, WEATHER WAS MAINLY FINE APART FROM SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS. AFTERNOONS WERE VERY HOT AND TEMPERATURES ON JUNE 30 ROSE TO A MAXIMUM OF 33.4 DEGREES CELSIUS, THE HIGHEST OF THE MONTH.

TWO TROPICAL CYCLONES OCCURRED OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA AND THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC DURING THE MONTH. RUTH FORMED AS A TROPICAL DEPRESSION OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA ON THE MORNING OF JUNE 18, WAS SHORT-LIVED AND MADE LANDFALL IN WESTERN GUANGDONG ON JUNE 19.

/SPERRY DEVELOPED