ENG-1982 — Page 317

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THE ENVIRONMENT

the normal figure. Towards the end of the month, tropical cyclone warning signals were displayed for the first time in the year during the approach of Tropical Storm Tess. Tess formed over the South China Sea on June 27, recurved near Hainan on June 29, and dissipated near Dongsha on July 2.

In July, tropical cyclone warning signals were hoisted on two occasions during the approach of Severe Tropical Storm Winona and Typhoon Andy. Winona formed over the western North Pacific to the east of the Philippines on July 12, crossed Luzon and the northern part of the South China Sea before reaching Leizhou Peninsula on July 17. Andy formed near Guam on July 22, crossed southern Taiwan and landed in southeast China on July 30. There were no reports of damage in Hong Kong. The maximum temperature of 34.8°C recorded on July 29 was the highest of the year.

The total rainfall of 872.0 mm in August and the daily rainfall amount of 334.2 mm on August 16 were both new records for the month. Most of the rain fell from August 15 to 19, causing flooding and numerous landslips in many parts of Hong Kong. Five people were killed and 1 460 made homeless during the deluge. Flooding in Tsuen Wan caused serious disruption to road and ferry services while in the northwestern part of the New Territories about 450 hectares of crops and 310 hectares of fish ponds were inundated. Two aircraft encountered severe turbulence near Hong Kong during the prolonged rainstorm. Two passengers were killed and a number of others injured. Five aircraft were diverted from Hong Kong due to adverse weather. On August 18, a waterspout landed at Tsing Yi Island, causing some minor damage to a shipyard.

September was wetter than normal. The total rainfall for the month, 466.8 mm, was 46 per cent above normal. The strong monsoon signal warning strong easterly winds was displayed for a record duration of 74 hours from 3.45 a.m. on September 5 to 5.45 a.m. on September 8. Tropical cyclone warning signals were hoisted during the approach of Typhoon Irving. The typhoon came within 400 nautical miles of Hong Kong on September 11 and eventually landed in Guangxi on September 15 after crossing the Leizhou Peninsula. Although winds in Hong Kong were generally strong off-shore on September 13, there were no reports of damage.

October was also wetter than normal. The accumulated rainfall amount for the first 10 months of the year, 3 151.7 mm, was already higher than the previous record annual rainfall amount of 3 100.4 mm established in 1973. Typhoon Nancy came within 400 nautical miles of Hong Kong on October 15 after crossing northern Luzon. It eventually landed in Vietnam on October 19. Typhoon Nancy was the last tropical cyclone for which tropical cyclone warning signals were displayed during the year in Hong Kong.

November was the fourth consecutive month in which the monthly rainfall exceeded the normal figure. The month's total rainfall of 95.8 mm was 176 per cent above normal. The month was also more humid than normal with an average relative humidity of 77 per cent, which was the third highest record for November. Four cold surges affected Hong Kong during the month. Temperatures at the Royal Observatory dropped appreciably on November 30 to 12.9°C, the lowest during the month.

Dominated by the continental anticyclone over China, the weather during December was drier and cooler than normal. There was only a trace of rainfall and the month was the third driest December on record. A major surge of the winter monsoon arrived in Hong Kong on Christmas Day, bringing the temperatures at the Royal Observatory down to 8.9°C on December 27, which was the lowest temperature of the year. During this cold spell, the lowest temperatures at Tate's Cairn and Tai Mo Shan were respectively 2.4°C and 0.0°C and hoar frost was reported in the northern part of the New Territories.