The Environment | 327
June. Thus, 2004 turned out to be the 17th driest year in Hong Kong since records began in 1884. The annual rainfall of 1 738.6 millimetres was 475.7 millimetres or about 21 percent below normal. Similar dry conditions were also widespread in southern China.
January was cloudier and wetter than usual. The monthly rainfall was 51.0 millimetres, more than double the normal figure.
February was warmer and slightly wetter than usual.
The deluge from a rainstorm late in the month made March wetter than usual. The monthly rainfall was 104.3 millimetres, about 56 per cent more than the normal figure.
In contrast to the first three months, April was slightly drier than usual.
Although May was drier than usual, a heavy downpour on May 8 led to the issuance of a Black Rainstorm Warning the first such warning since September 2001. There were also reports of a tornado in the eastern part of Hong Kong during the rainstorm.
The weather in June was warmer, sunnier and drier than usual. The mean temperature of 28.6 degrees was 0.8 degree above normal, the eighth highest for June. The Standby Signal No. 1 was issued for the first time in the year to warn the public of Typhoon Conson in the South China Sea.
July was wetter than normal. Tropical Storm Kompasu made a direct hit on Hong Kong, necessitating the issuance of the No. 8 Gale or Storm Warning Signal.
Wetter-than-normal conditions continued in August. The Standby Signal No. 1 was issued during the approach of Typhoon Aere.
As none of the four tropical cyclones originating from the western Pacific came close to Hong Kong during the month, September was drier than usual. The monthly rainfall of 167.3 millimetres was about 44 per cent below the normal figure.
October was sunnier and much drier than normal. The monthly rainfall of 2.3 millimetres amounted to only about 2 per cent of the normal figure.
November and December were much warmer than usual, except for a cold snap in the last few days of the year. Both months were also very dry. There was 0.4 millimetre of rainfall in November, about 1 per cent of normal, and just a trace of rainfall in December.
Meteorological Services
Hong Kong Observatory
The Hong Kong Observatory was established in 1883, mainly to provide scientific information for the safe navigation of ships. Since then, it has evolved in line with community needs, providing services in weather forecasting,
forecasting, climatology, hydrometeorology, physical oceanography and radiation monitoring and assessment.
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