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Despite being affected by two tropical cyclones, August was drier than usual. The total rainfall of the month was 317 millimetres, 127.6 millimetres below normal. The accumulated rainfall since January 1 was 2,699.1 millimetres, about 44% above the normal figure of 1,873.7 millimetres for the same period. It was also sunny in August with 215.5 hours of sunshine, about 14% longer than normal. With long periods of sunshine, the monthly total global solar radiation in August was 564.48 megajoules per square metre, the second highest for August since records began.
Under the influence of a ridge of high pressure over southeastern China, local weather was fine and hot for the first four days of the month. Severe Tropical Storm Kammuri formed over the northeastern part of the South China Sea on August 4. With Kammuri edging west-northwestwards towards the coast of Guangdong, local weather started to deteriorate the next day. Kammuri passed to the southwest of Hong Kong and made landfall over Yangxi County in western Guangdong on August 6. Under the influence of Kammuri, the weather became windy and rainy on August 6. Local winds generally reached strong to gale force and 74.1 millimetres of rainfall was recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory on that day. The remnant of Kammuri continued to bring rainy and thundery weather to the territory on August 7 and 8.
Local weather improved on August 9 and 10 with sunny periods during the day. A trough of low pressure over the northern part of the South China Sea brought scattered showers to Hong Kong on August 11. The trough of low pressure dissipated and local weather turned mainly fine the next day. A ridge of high pressure over southern China brought sunny and hot weather to Hong Kong from August 13-21. The temperature recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory rose to a maximum of 34.3 degree on August 21, the highest of the month.
Typhoon Nuri formed over the western North Pacific on August 17 and tracked west-northwestwards. Nuri entered the South China Sea on August 21 and moved northwestwards in the general direction of Hong Kong. It passed Hong Kong on August 22 and moved further inland Guangdong on August 23. Under the influence of Nuri, the weather became windy and rainy on August 22. Local winds generally reached strong to gale force and a total of 61.6 millimetres of rainfall was recorded at the Hong Kong Observatory on that day. The outer rainbands southeast of Nuri continued to bring showery weather to the territory on August 23.
A ridge of high pressure over southern China brought generally fine and hot weather to Hong Kong from August 24-30. A southwesterly airstream brought cloudier weather on the last day of the month.
Five tropical cyclones occurred in the western North Pacific and the South China Sea in the month.
Details of the issuance and cancellation of various warnings/signals in the month are summarised in Table 1.1. Monthly meteorological figures and departures from normal of August are tabulated in Table 1.2.
Ends/Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:01
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