XN000022-1990-01-11 — Page 16

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 1990

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SHARP CONTRAST IN DECEMBER WEATHER

THERE WAS A SHARP CONTRAST BETWEEN THE WEATHER IN PART OF DECEMBER AND THAT IN THE LATTER PART OF THE MONTH. PART WAS CHARACTERISED BY CLEAR SKY AND BRILLIANT SUNSHINE LATTER PART WAS CLOUDY AND RAINY, THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY (THURSDAY) IN ITS MONTHLY WEATHER REPORT.

THE

FIRST

THE FIRST

WHILE THE

SAID TODAY

TWO MAJOR RAIN EPISODES OCCURRED DURING THE PERIODS LEADING UP TO CHRISTMAS AND THE NEW YEAR. TOTAL RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH AMOUNTED TO 40.2 MILLIMETRES, WHICH WAS 59 PER CENT ABOVE THE AVERAGE FOR DECEMBER.

THE ANNUAL TOTAL WAS 1,944.6 MILLIMETRES, REPRESENTING 87 PER CENT OF THE NORMAL AMOUNT OF 2,224.7 MILLIMETRES.

FOR THE FIRST 17 DAYS OF THE MONTH, SOUTHERN CHINA WAS DOMINATED BY DRY CONTINENTAL AIR. NIGHT-TIME CONDITIONS WERE GENERALLY COOL BUT DAY-TIME WEATHER WAS MILD WITH LONG HOURS OF SUNSHINE.

THE WINTER MONSOON WAS RELATIVELY MILD DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF DECEMBER. TEMPERATURES CLIMBED STEADILY DURING THE PERIOD AND THE MAXIMUM OF 23.3 DEGREES CELSIUS RECORDED ON DECEMBER 7 WAS THE HIGHEST FOR THE MONTH. UNDER A VERY STABLE ATMOSPHERE, HAZE OCCURRED AT TIMES DURING THE PERIOD FROM DECEMBER 5 TO 9 AND FROM DECEMBER 14 TO 16.

FRESH EASTERLY WINDS SET IN EARLY ON DECEMBER 17, AND 'THE WEATHER TOOK A NOTICEABLE TURN FOR THE WORSE THE NEXT DAY. FROM DECEMBER 18 ONWARDS, AN EXTENSIVE AREA OF CLOUD AND RAIN AFFECTED SOUTHERN CHINA.

LOCALLY, SOME LIGHT RAIN OCCURRED DECEMBER 18 AND 19.

IN THE NIGHT HOURS OF

THERE WERE PERIODS OF SUNSHINE ON DECEMBER 21 AFTER A FEW TRACES OF RAINFALL IN THE MORNING.

UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ACTIVE UPPER AIR DISTURBANCES, RAIN FREQUENTLY DEVELOPED AND MOVED IN FROM THE WEST. RAIN BECAME HEAVIER AND MORE PERSISTENT IN THE EVENING OF DECEMBER 22.

THE RAIN BASED OFF AFTER THE MORNING OF DECEMBER 25, BUT THE WEATHER REMAINED RATHER COOL. SINCE THE START OF THE RAIN EPISODE, TWO MOVEMENTS OF COOL AIR ARRIVED FROM THE NORTH ON DECEMBER 23 AND 26.

THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 13.1 DEGREES RECORDED IN THE MORNING OF DECEMBER 24 AND AGAIN ON DECEMBER 27 WAS THE LOWEST FOR THE MONTH.

/IT WAS