CBD or Genting? Chilly weather in S’pore as temperature dips to 20.3 deg C, lowest so far in 2026

SINGAPORE – It almost felt like autumn in Singapore as the mercury fell on Feb 19 following days of incessant rain.

Temperatures dropped below 21 deg C across three locations that day, with Newton recording the lowest temperature of 2026 thus far, said the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on Feb 20.

The weather station in Newton saw a temperature of 20.3 deg C at 9.12pm. In comparison, the lowest recorded temperature in 2025 was 21 deg C in Choa Chu Kang South on July 2, said MSS, which comes under the National Environment Agency.

According to data on the MSS website, areas such as Clementi, Newton and Jurong Island experienced temperatures as low as 21 deg C around 9pm. Places such as Jurong West and Sentosa island also saw temperatures falling to almost 21 deg C.

Netizens took to social media to share photos and videos of the uncommon weather conditions.

Facebook user Karan Vir posted a photo showing the tops of Marina Bay Sands’ iconic towers obscured by dark clouds.

“Thought I saw three chimneys and smoke,” quipped another Facebook user in the comments.

Social media user Boon Tong Teo posted a video of the gloomy conditions in Tanjong Pagar, where buildings were barely visible through the rain and fog. The Facebook user likened the conditions to Genting Highlands, a popular tourist spot in Malaysia known for its cool weather.

Elsewhere in Singapore, Facebook user Emily Leong posted a photo of a fog-covered skyline that illustrated the “low visibility” due to the incessant rain.

According to MSS, low clouds called stratus clouds can often be seen in Singapore during periods of prolonged rain in the north-east monsoon season, which typically runs from December to March.

Rain fell across Singapore throughout the afternoon and into the evening on Feb 19. MSS stations around the central region recorded rainfall from 2pm to 8pm.

Areas such as Kent Ridge and Buona Vista saw more than 135mm of rain over the day, higher than the highest daily rainfall recorded in the first fortnight of February, which was 108.6 mm around the Jurong Pier area.

On Feb 19, national water agency PUB issued warnings about the risk of flash floods in the Jurong, Pioneer and Bukit Timah areas.

In its weather advisory for the second half of February, MSS said on Feb 16 that showers were expected over most parts of the island in the afternoons and evenings of the first few days of this period.

Relatively drier weather is expected to follow, though brief localised thundery showers may still occur on several afternoons, it added.

According to MSS’ website, the lowest daily temperature recorded at the main climate station – then in Mount Faber – was 19.4 deg C in January 1934. The station in Paya Lebar recorded a chilly 19 deg C on Feb 14, 1989.