The dry and warm weather in the first two weeks of July is expected to persist for the rest of the month, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said yesterday.

Daily temperatures are expected to range between 24 deg C and 34 deg C for the next fortnight. But on days with little or no rain, the daily maximum temperature could reach a high of around 35 deg C.

Short thundery showers are expected on three to five days for the next two weeks. These showers are expected to take place mainly in the late morning and early afternoon.

Meanwhile, widespread thundery showers and gusty winds could hit most of Singapore on one or two days between the pre-dawn hours and early morning.

This is due to the passage of a Sumatra squall from the Strait of Malacca to the South China Sea. Sumatra squalls refer to organised lines of thunderstorms travelling eastwards across Singapore.

This month's overall rainfall is expected to be below normal for many parts of Singapore, with about two-thirds of the island receiving below-normal rainfall in the last two weeks of July.

MSS said the prevailing southwest monsoon conditions are likely to continue into September or early October.

This would mean Singapore may continue to experience the Sumatra squalls, with wind gusts of 40kmh to 80kmh during pre-dawn hours and midday.

Short showers or thunderstorms in the afternoon are also common during the south-west monsoon season.

This drier and warmer weather in the first half of July, relative to the last two weeks of June, was due to stable atmospheric conditions that prevailed over the southern South-east Asian region, said MSS.

The daily maximum temperature ranged between 29 deg C and 33 deg C on most days in the last two weeks, and hit a high of 34.4 deg C last Thursday.

The daily minimum temperature was around 24 deg C.