XN000022-1993-05-20 — Page 22

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 1993

THE VERY POOR WATER QUALITY AT APPROACH AND TING KAU BEACHES IS PROBABLY DUE TO THE RECENT HEAVY RAINFUL WHICH WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE POLLUTANTS IN THE BEACH HINTERLAND TO BE FLUSHED INTO THE SEA WATER.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

FOR FURTHER ENQUIRIES,

PLEASE CONTACT DR M J BROOM,

PRINCIPAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION OFFICER ON 835 1234.

COOL AND CLOUDY IN APRIL

**

A MONTHLY WEATHER REPORT PUBLISHED TODAY (THURSDAY} BY THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY SHOWED THAT APRIL WAS RELATIVELY COOL AND CLOUDY WITH THE NORTHEAST MONSOON RATHER ACTIVE LATE IN THE SEASON.

THERE WAS A NINE-DAY SPELL IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH WHEN THE COOL NORTHEAST MONSOON WAS PARTICULARLY PERSISTENT.

LATTER

IT WAS ALSO QUITE HUMID WITH FREQUENT MIST AND FOG IN THE

HALF OF APRIL.

ALTHOUGH THERE WERE ONLY SEVEN RAIN-FREE DAYS DURING THE MONTH, THE RAINFALL AMOUNT REMAINED ON THE LOW SIDE FOR THE THIRD

CONSECUTIVE MONTH.

WITH ONLY 136.3 MILLIMETRES OF RAIN, THE TOTAL RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH WAS 16 PER CENT BELOW THE APRIL NORMAL OF 161.5 MILLIMETRES.

THE TOTAL AMOUNT SINCE JANUARY 1 WAS 219.8 MILLIMETRES, 27 PER CENT BELOW THE NORMAL OF 299.8 MILLIMETRES FOR THE PERIOD.

THE INTRUSION OF A MOIST MARITIME AIRSTREAM AT THE BEGINNING OF APRIL LED TO THE FORMATION OF MIST AND COASTAL FOG. THE WEATHER REMAINED CLOUDY WITH PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE FOR THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE MONTH.

BUT ONCE THE FOG LIFTED ON APRIL 3 AND 4, THERE WERB LONG PERIODS OF SUNSHINE DURING THE DAY.

IN

CLOUDS RETURNED AS EASTERLY WINDS STRENGTHENED IN THE BARLY MORNING ON APRIL 5, LIGHT RAIN FELL FOR SEVERAL HOURS FOLLOWING THE ONSET OF THE EASTERLY SURGE AND BECAME MORE PERSISTENT THE NEXT DAY.

WINDS TURNED NORTHEASTERLY ON THE NIGHT OF APRIL 6 AND EVEN COOLER AIR FROM THE INLAND AREAS OF GUANGDONG.

BROUGHT

TEMPERATURES DROPPED BY MORE THAN 13 DEGREES FROM THE ON APRIL 3 TO THE MONTH'S LOWEST OF 14.6 DEGREES ON APRIL 7.

MAXIMUM

/AT OUTBREAK