XN000022-1993-01-20 — Page 13

12

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1993

THE TENDENCY OF THE TROPICAL CYCLONES TO TRACK NORTHWARDS OF TAIWAN LED TO SOME VERY HOT CONDITIONS IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER.

EAST

ALTHOUGH JANUARY WAS RELATIVELY SUNNY, THE MONTHLY RAINFALL OF 40.0 MILLIMETRES WAS 70 PER CENT ABOVE THE JANUARY NORMAL OF 23.4

MILLIMETRES.

A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE MONTH'S RAIN FELL ON JANUARY DURING A SPELL OF ACTIVE WINTER MONSOON.

THE DOMINANCE OF THE WINTER MONSOON WAS REFLECTED BY THE UNUSUALLY HIGH MONTHLY MEAN PRESSURE OF 1,022.2 HPA, THE SIXTH HIGHEST ON RECORD FOR JANUARY.

FEBRUARY WAS GENERALLY GLOOMY AND DAMP. THE ACTIVE WINTER MONSOON, ALTERNATING BETWEEN THE NORTHERLIES AND THE EASTERLIES, BROUGHT A PROLONGED SPELL OF CLOUDS, RAIN AND MIST FOR MOST PART OF THE MONTH.

THE MONTHLY RAINFALL OF 142.8 MILLIMETRES WAS NEARLY THREE TIMES THE FEBRUARY NORMAL OF 48.0 MILLIMETRES AND PRODUCED THE SIXTH WETTEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD.

THE TOTAL DURATION OF SUNSHINE IN FEBRUARY WAS ONLY ABOUT TWO- THIRDS OF NORMAL.

MARCH WAS STILL DAMP AND WET. CLOUDS AND MIST WERE PREVALENT AS MOISTURE CONVERGED UPON THE SOUTH CHINA COASTAL AREAS.

MAKING

THE MONTHLY MEAN RELATIVE HUMIDITY WAS AS HIGH AS

IT THE MOST HUMID MARCH SINCE 1978.

90 PER CENT,

THE MONTHLY RAINFALL OF 242.4 MILLIMETRES WAS OVER THREE-AND-A- HALF TIMES THE MARCH NORMAL OF 66.9 MILLIMETRES. HALF OF THE MONTH'S RAIN FELL ON MARCH 3 DURING THE APPROACH OF AN ACTIVE COLD FRONT.

IT

RAINFALL RECORD.

WAS THE SECOND WETTEST MARCH DAY ON RECORD. THE TOTAL IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR WAS THE SECOND

HIGHEST ON

PROLONGED HEAVY DOWNPOURS AFFECTED HONG KONG IN APRIL AND HAIL WAS REPORTED IN CAUSEWAY BAY AND POKFULAM VILLAGE ON APRIL 4.

WITH A MONTHLY RAINFALL TOTAL OF 492.2 MILLIMETRES, WETTEST APRIL SINCE OBSERVATIONS BEGAN IN 1884.

RAIN

MILLIMETRES

―

IT WAS THE

WAS HEAVIEST ON APRIL 10 WITH A DAILY TOTAL OF 160.7

THE SECOND HIGHEST FOR A SINGLE DAY IN APRIL.

AS THE WET ANOMALY PERSISTED, THE ACCUMULATED RAINFALL FINALLY EXCEEDED THE PREVIOUS RECORD BY THE END OF APRIL.

MAY WAS ANOTHER WET AND UNSETTLED MONTH. AGAINST A BACKGROUND OF STORM CLOUDS AND RAIN, THE DURATION OF BRIGHT SUNSHINE FOR THE WHOLE MONTH WAS A MEAGRE TOTAL OF 93.8 HOURS, THE FIFTH LOWEST EVER FOR MAY.

/A VERY

+

1