Cool, rainy weather expected in Singapore over New Year celebrations
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The country experiences between two and four monsoon surges each year on average.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
SINGAPORE – The Republic will likely ring in the new year amid cool, wet weather, with a monsoon surge expected to bring rain to the country over the weekend.
Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a Facebook post on Thursday evening (Dec 30) that during this period, occasional spells of thundery showers can be expected, with daily temperatures reaching a low of 23 deg C.
A monsoon surge is a weather phenomenon that brings cool air and thunderstorms to Singapore.
The country experiences between two and four monsoon surges each year on average, with the events occurring mostly between the months of December and March, said the NEA’s Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on its website.
The NEA added in its Facebook post: “This is the first monsoon surge occurrence in the current north-east monsoon season.”
During these months, Singapore experiences the north-east monsoon season, when winds blow mainly from the north.
This period also coincides with the northern hemisphere winter months, when air over the northern Asian land mass, in places such as Siberia, is cold and dry.
Monsoon surges occur when a sudden increase in wind speed causes the cool air to surge southwards into the South China Sea.
As the cold air moves south, it warms and gathers moisture, resulting in dense rain clouds being formed over the equatorial region, including in Singapore.
“Each event can last between one and five days, where widespread continuous moderate to heavy rain affects the island. Sometimes, the surges come in spells with breaks of cloudy or overcast conditions,” added the MSS on its website.
In January 2018, a monsoon surge resulted in a five-day-long cool spell in Singapore – the longest experienced in the country in a decade – with temperatures hovering between 21 deg C and 22 deg C, compared with the annual mean temperature in Singapore that year of 27.9 deg C.
Madam Tan Koy Choo, 67, a retired businesswoman who lives in the Bukit Timah area, said she plans to make the best of the rainy weather by collecting rainwater to wash floors and water plants.
Madam Tan Koy Choo, 67, a retired businesswoman who lives in the Bukit Timah area, said she plans to make the best of the rainy weather by collecting rainwater to wash floors and water plants.
National water agency PUB urged people to stay updated on the rain situation in Singapore by subscribing to the PUB Flood Alerts channel on social media platform Telegram.
For more flood safety tips, check out this website.
