SINGAPORE - After a wet June and July, warmer and drier conditions are expected in the first half of August, said the weatherman on Thursday (July 30).

The daily maximum temperature is expected to range between 33 deg C and 34 deg C on most days, with highs of around 35 deg C on a few days.

A few warm and humid nights are also forecast, with temperatures hovering at about 28 deg C.

With the monsoon rain band likely to shift northward, away from the equatorial South-east Asia region, rainfall for the first fortnight of August is forecast to be slightly below normal over most parts of Singapore.

However, widespread thundery showers with gusty winds are expected in the early morning on two to three days.

Some days may also have short moderate to heavy thundery showers over parts of the island between the late morning and afternoon due to solar heating of land areas.

As for July, more than two-thirds of the island received above average rainfall during the month, as the monsoon rain band remained over the equatorial South-east Asia region.

The month's lowest daily maximum temperature of 25.9 deg C was recorded at Khatib on July 13, which was linked to the islandwide thundery showers and overcast skies that day.

The daily maximum temperatures at all stations across the island in July were below 33 deg C for more than half the month. On nine of these days, the daily maximum temperature was below 32 deg C.

This June was also the wettest in the last decade, due to strong solar heating of the land. Large-scale convergence of winds in the surrounding region and the passage of Sumatra squalls over Singapore on some days also contributed to thundery showers.

The squalls are organised lines of thunderstorms that originate over Sumatra or the Strait of Malacca, and typically move eastward towards Singapore.