SINGAPORE - Singapore is likely to have hotter and drier days for the next four months, and the risk of haze will be higher too.

This is due to the El Nino weather phenomenon, which could develop as early as the end of the July and is expected to peak in the last quarter of the year, said the Meteorological Service Singapore on Friday.

The average daily temperature for June to September is expected to be 1 degree hotter than the long-term averages of 27.2 to 27.7 deg C, while rainfall could be 10 to 40 per cent less than usual.

"Prolonged drier and warmer conditions during an El Nino will increase the risk of the occurence of transboundary smoke from land and forest fires in the region," said the Met Service. National water agency PUB also urged people and businesses to conserve water as it will have to ramp up water production to maintain reservoir stocks.