Royal - HKU Libraries - The University of Hong Kong

More documents

Recommendations

Info

ong Kong's climate is sub-tropical, tending towardsI temperate for nearly half the year, and the recordedouter limits are not, generally speaking, extreme.It can, however, be Hot: the highest temperaturerecorded at the Observatory was 36.1°C on 19 August 1900.It can be Cold: the lowest reading was 0°C on 18 January1893 (at the Observatory; lower temperatures have beennoted in the New Territories - minus 3.1°C at Sek Kong inJanuary 1955 - and at higher elevations).It can be Wet: 1982 was the wettest year on record, with3 247.5 mm of rain at the Observatory, 46 per cent abovethe average annual fall of 2 224.7 mm.It can be Dry: 1963 saw only 901 mm of rain at theObservatory, by far the lowest on record. In the same year,Waglan Island had only 430 mm.It can be Violent: Typhoon Wanda on 1 September 1962brought a wind gust at Tate's Cairn of 154 knots.It can be Windy: the long-term average number oftyphoons causing gales in Hong Kong is a little over one ayear, but 1964 brought an unprecedented five typhoons -Viola (May), Ida (August), Ruby (September), Sally(September) and Dot (October).It can be Sunny: in 1963, Hong Kong enjoyed 2 470 hoursof sunshine, 458 hours more than average.*^Meteorological statistics are interesting in themselves, but it must beremembered that they are no more than long-term averages from ascientific discipline which is ~ probably more than any other - subject tounpredictable variations.For example, while this book was in production, Hong Kongexperienced its most unusual January-March weather since recordsbegan. The period is usually dry and sunny, but the first three months of1983 brought a total of 745.3 mm of rain, more than six times the averageof 123.6mm.1983 rainfall (mm) Average (mm)January 76.3 26.9February 241 41.9March 428 54.888
November and December are normally the best monthsof the year, with breezes, sunshine and comfortabletemperatures. January and February bring more cloud andcold winds blow down from China.March and April are usually pleasant months, except forspells of fog, drizzle and high humidity. Showers andthunderstorms become frequent in May.In June, the hot, prickly blanket of summer settles onHong Kong, bringing heavy tropical rain and heralding thestart of the most dramatic part of the climatological year —the typhoon season.Each year, normally between July and October, anaverage of 30 tropical cyclones form in the western NorthPacific or the South China Sea. About half of these becomemature typhoons, i.e., with winds of 64 knots. Tropicalcyclones typically affect Hong Kong between May andNovember, and none has caused gales in Hong Kongbetween December and April.Tropical cyclone is a generic term, and not all suchdisturbances progress through the four categories:A tropical depression has maximum sustained winds of lessthan 34 knots. Its centre is often not clearly defined.A tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of 34-47knots.A severe tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of48-63 knots.A typhoon has maximum sustained winds of 64 knots ormore.The name typhoon (from the Cantonese ielil daifung —big wind — is used in Southeast Asia, China, Korea andJapan; Indians and Australians prefer 'cyclone', while theUnited States and Central American countries use the term'hurricane.'Whatever its name, a mature typhoon is probably themost savage and destructive force in nature with the possibleexception of severe earthquakes — but tropical cyclones aremore common than destructive earthquakes.89
Page 2:
UNIVERSITY OFHQ,NG KONG>**"/////»I
Page 5:
The Royal Observatory, Hong KongJIM
Page 8 and 9:
The effect of climate on human cond
Page 11 and 12:
IntroductionIifc on earth is possib
Page 13 and 14:
Theories had been developed: as ear
Page 15 and 16:
Then came another important scienti
Page 17 and 18:
thirty feet high, huge grotesque lo
Page 20 and 21:
Ancient Chinese astronomical instru
Page 22 and 23:
Chapter 1KSJSJOJ/ do think that, of
Page 24 and 25:
work of the observatory made no pro
Page 26 and 27:
its physical observations of the ph
Page 28 and 29:
period. The main building was recta
Page 30 and 31:
on metal pipe frames, were too ligh
Page 32 and 33:
Blackhead's Hill (Signal Hill) and
Page 34 and 35:
many previous storms when the wind
Page 36 and 37:
coast ports and the police in fact
Page 39 and 40:
European assistants, at least one o
Page 41 and 42:
... Mr. da Silva has resigned. . .
Page 43 and 44:
few minutes' warning of one of the
Page 45:
water height by up to several metre
Page 50 and 51:
I he early European traders, mercha
Page 52 and 53: the sun's rays in tropical climates
Page 54 and 55: coast; trees are broken or rooted u
Page 56 and 57: Professor S. Wells Williams, anothe
Page 58 and 59: We had a striking example in Hong K
Page 60 and 61: Hong Kong lies just within the trop
Page 62 and 63: Chapter 3OFCOTWETSEverybody talks a
Page 64 and 65: The sun's disc had a diameter on th
Page 66 and 67: Such detailed rules failed to impre
Page 68 and 69: the periods before winter droughts
Page 70 and 71: crossed into Hong Kong, followed by
Page 72 and 73: inlet of Tola Harbour in the New Te
Page 74 and 75: The war in Europe had spurred the d
Page 76: Inset: The backs of these cigarette
Page 79 and 80: It 8 am on 8 December 1941, 12 Japa
Page 81 and 82: The records are all in pencil, neat
Page 83 and 84: The civil staff was soon put to the
Page 85 and 86: The department is in fact primarily
Page 87 and 88: temperature down to 3J°C at the Ob
Page 89 and 90: moving directly towards Hong Kong,
Page 91 and 92: If the weather in 1965 was comparat
Page 93 and 94: since Typhoon Shirley in 1968. It h
Page 95 and 96: Radar observations early on 26 July
Page 97 and 98: almost as accurately as from a reco
Page 99 and 100: Waves smash over the praya at Kenne
Page 101: Chapter 5CLICKINGCCFTHEAt the prese
Page 105 and 106: move them a substantial distance in
Page 107 and 108: .. . wind blowing through the long
Page 109 and 110: for a series of fine weather and ca
Page 111 and 112: The typhoon of Saturday September 2
Page 113 and 114: Above: How the 1874 typhoon destroy
Page 115 and 116: Above: Aftermath of the 1923 blow w
Page 117 and 118: its of storm water which could be s
Page 119 and 120: he splitting of time into microscop
Page 121 and 122: The Third Congress of the World Met
Page 123 and 124: small craft. It includes 24-hour ar
Page 125 and 126: much of the Observatory's work invo
Page 127 and 128: The marine meteorology section of t
Page 129 and 130: The water shortage having become ve
Page 131 and 132: The signal was received by a helica
Page 133 and 134: The shock occurring yesterday after
Page 135 and 136: The Royal Observatory is part of tw
Page 137 and 138: acquired its own radar, which was u
Page 139 and 140: grass. Soil temperatures are read f
Page 141 and 142: * Vertical section through the atmo
Page 143: of Mineral Resources recommended a
Page 148: Much of Hong Kong's population live
Page 153 and 154:
BibliographyABEL, Clarke, Narrative
Page 155 and 156:
IndexAbel, Clarkevisit to Hong Kong
Page 157 and 158:
Macdonnell, Governor Sir Richard, 2
show all

Royal - HKU Libraries - The University of Hong Kong

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?