Strong winds recorded across Singapore on Jan 18, reaching 49.3kmh at Admiralty

A woman struggling with her umbrella due to strong wind on Jan 18, 2021. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
A woman with messy hair due to strong wind along Thomson Road on Jan 18, 2021. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

SINGAPORE - Singapore was gripped by gusty winds on Monday (Jan 18), reaching speeds of up to 49.3kmh in Admiralty in the morning.

The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) recorded that high speed over a one-minute period at the Admiralty weather station at 11.01am. Strong wind was also logged at other times - 41.3 kmh at 1.47pm and 31.1kmh at the Tai Seng weather station.

Areas in the south-east of Singapore like East Coast, Marina Barrage, Changi and Pasir Panjang recorded wind speeds of more than 20kmh well into Monday evening.

Monday has not been the windiest though for January in Singapore as the highest maximum wind speed recorded thus far was 70.2kmh at Admiralty on Jan 12.

"These strong winds made it a great day to be out as the breezy weather is very pleasant," said Ms Na Soyeon, 38, who works in finance. She took her six-year-old son to Marina Barrage to fly kites on her day off from work.

"We enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities, but Singapore is often too hot - so this was a golden opportunity," Ms Na said.

"I was exercising this afternoon at around 5pm at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park. The wind was so strong that I found it difficult to walk briskly along the park's walkways," said Madam Florence Chua, 62, a housewife.

"The trees were swaying wildly, and the paths were full of leaves that were being blown about. That was quite unusual. That aside, the sun was out and the wind made it very cooling," Madam Chua said.

Some, however, were not too thrilled with the gusty weather, particularly with drying clothes being blown away and glass flower vases toppling.

Ms Korinne Koh, 20, a student who lives in Admiralty, told The Straits Times that she left the window open when she left home to get lunch, only to return an hour later to find loose-leaf notes and study materials strewn about her room.

"For a moment, I thought we'd been robbed. This sort of wind is really rare in our area, and I saw one of our neighbours picking up their clothes at the void deck after they got blown off the pegs," Ms Koh said.

The rainy and windy weather in early January is expected to ease soon, as the Met Service forecast a generally dry and warm second half for the month. Daily maximum temperatures are expected to inch their way up to 34 deg C on a few days, with most days hovering between 32 and 33 deg C.

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