XN000022-1990-08-11 — Page 2

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 1990

JULY WARMER AND DRIER THAN NORMAL

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TO THE

JULY 1990 WAS WARMER AND DRIER THAN NORMAL, ACCORDING MONTHLY WEATHER REPORT RELEASED BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TODAY (SATURDAY).

BOTH THE MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 29.0 DEGREES AND THE MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 26.9 DEGREES ARE THE SEVENTH HIGHEST EVER, THE MONTH WAS ALSO LESS HUMID THAN NORMAL WITH A MEAN RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF 79 PER CENT. THIS IS THE NINTH LOWEST ON RECORD.

THE WEATHER WAS BASICALLY FINE EXCEPT FOR SHOWERS AND PERIODS OF RAIN BROUGHT BY AN UNSTABLK SOUTHWESTERLY AIRSTREAM IN MID-JULY AND BY SEVERE TROPICAL STORM TASHA TOWARDS THE END OF THE MONTH.

THE MONTHLY RAINFALL TOTAL WAS 268.0 MILLIMETRES, 15 PER CENT BELOW THE NORMAL OF 316.8 MILLIMETRES.

THE TOTAL RAINFALL SINCE JANUARY 1 AMOUNTED ΤΟ 1,349.2 MILLIMETRES, THREE PER CENT ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 1,309.7 MILLIMETRES FOR THE SAME PERIOD.

CLOUD BANDS LEFT BEHIND BY TYPHOON PERCY LINGERED OVER THE TERRITORY ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH. THE WEATHER BECAME RIGHTER THE FOLLOWING DAY.

APART FROM SOME BRIEF SHOWERS, GENERALLY FINE AND HOT WEATHER PERSISTED FOR THE NEXT FOUR DAYS AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDED WESTWARDS FROM THE RYUKYU ISLANDS. THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 33.3 DEGREES RECORDED ON JULY 5 IS THE HIGHEST REACHED SO FAR THIS YEAR.

SLIGHTLY HEAVIER SHOWERS FELL ON THE MORNING OF JULY 6. THEY PROVIDED A TEMPORARY RELIEF FROM THIS SPELL OF SUNNY AND HOT WEATHER AND THAT WHICH FOLLOWED AND CONTINUED TILL JULY 11.

FOLLOWING THE NORTHWARD PASSAGE OF TROPICAL STORM ROBYN OVER THE EAST CHINA SEA, ACTIVE SOUTHWEST MONSOON ENCROACHED UPON THE SOUTH CHINA COASTAL AREAS AND BROUGHT INCREASINGLY UNSETTLED CONDITIONS. THIS WAS THE REASON FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING AND EVENING OF JULY 12, WHICH OTHERWISE WAS FINE.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO AFFECT THE TERRITORY UNTIL JULY 15 WHEN AT LAST THE CLOUDS BROKE AND THE SUN SHONE THROUGH.

WITH A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDING IN FROM THE PACIFIC, THE WEATHER PATTERN FOR THE NEXT FIVE DAYS REVERTED то A BASICALLY FINE THEME SPRINKLED WITH BRIEF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS.

THE SOUTH CHINA COASTAL AREAS CAME

UNDER THE INFLUENCE

OF

A FRESH BASTERLY AIRSTREAM FROM JULY 21 ΤΟ 23 AS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MOVED ACROSS THE SOUTH CHINA SEA TOWARDS VIETNAM,

/ALTHOUGH THERE