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THE ENVIRONMENT

A waterspout was sighted off the coast of southern Hong Kong Island during the heavy showers on the afternoon of June 27.

July was sunnier and much hotter than usual. There were 19 consecutive days with maximum temperatures exceeding 33°C. This heatwave is unprecedented in the history of the Royal Observatory. On the afternoon of July 22, temperatures rose to a maximum of 34.2°C which was the highest recorded in the year. Unusually high temperatures were also experienced in many other places in Asia. Due to persistent rain associated with Severe Tropical Storm Agnes which approached Hong Kong twice at the end of the month, the Royal Observatory recorded a total rainfall of 555.2 mm or 74 per cent more than the average figure for July.

Unlike the previous month, August was cloudier and less sunny than usual but the month's rainfall was much below normal. Out of the eight tropical cyclones over the western North Pacific and the South China Sea in the month, only Tropical Storm Bonnie and Severe Tropical Storm Elaine affected Hong Kong. Gales were experi- enced in Hong Kong during the passage of Severe Tropical Storm Elaine causing one death and 51 people injured. However, very little property damage was reported.

September was hot and sunny with below average rainfall. Although tropical cyclone warning signals were hoisted for two tropical cyclones, no damage was reported in Hong Kong.

Due to heavy rain associated with Severe Tropical Storm Nina in October, many minor landslips and floods were reported in Hong Kong. Rainfall at the Royal Observatory during the month was 501.4 mm which is nearly five times the normal figure of 107.2 mm and is the fourth highest on record for October. The 284.4 mm of rainfall recorded on the 17th is the highest figure for any October day since 1923. The intense continental anticyclone over China combined with three tropical cyclones over the South China Sea to make the month the most windy October in recent years. The minimum temperature of 13.5°C on October 30 was the lowest temperature ever recorded in October. Conditions were dry from the eighth to the 14th. On October 10, Chung Yeung Festival, 150 fires were reported. More than half of these were hill fires and nearly 200 hectares of grass and trees were affected. On October 28, the strong to gale force winds of Typhoon Rita overturned several small boats and also seriously affected air traffic.

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November was mainly fine and mild. It was a fairly normal month and the weather was quite seasonable.

December was mild and sunny. Although the Strong Monsoon Signal was hoisted on four occasions to warn of strong winds associated with the winter monsoon, no big falls in temperature were experienced during the month.

The Royal Observatory

When the Royal Observatory was founded in 1883, its most important function was to make magnetic and astronomical observations to assist with the navigation of ships. The emphasis gradually changed and today its main responsibility is for storm warn- ings and weather forecasting services.

Because of Hong Kong's unique situation, the Royal Observatory performs the functions of a local, national and international weather service. Locally, the Royal Observatory maintains a 24-hour watch on the weather and issues forecasts both for