Singapore bids farewell to hottest, driest Sept on record
Intense thunderstorms and more lightning activity expected over next two months
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People using umbrellas and picnic mats to shelter themselves from the rain at Ang Mo Kio Town Garden East on Sunday. The weatherman expects rainfall in the first two weeks of this month to be slightly above normal over most parts of Singapore, which means the chance for haze here would be low.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
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The dry weather that Singapore has been experiencing is officially over.
And in the next two months, more lightning activity and some intense thunderstorms can be expected.
Last month was the hottest and driest September on record, said the weatherman based on climate readings taken in Changi. September followed two months of dry and warm weather.
The National Environment Agency's Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) attributed the change in the weather to a shift in wind conditions from low-level winds blowing from the south-east or south weakening to winds that are light and variable in direction.
"This signals the cessation of the south-west monsoon season and the start of the inter-monsoon period," MSS said yesterday.
Lightning activity tends to be higher during the inter-monsoon period compared with other times of the year.
The weatherman also expects rainfall in the first two weeks of this month to be slightly above normal over most parts of Singapore, which means the chance for haze here would be low.
But there could be slightly hazy conditions on a few days, especially in the early morning due to an accumulation of particulate matter in the atmosphere.
On most days, the daily temperature should range between 25 deg C and 34 deg C.
MSS also noted that compared with previous readings for the month of September in Changi, last month saw the highest mean daily maximum temperature of 33 deg C, exceeding the previous record of 32.2 deg C set in 1997.
Compared with other Septembers, last month's mean daily minimum temperature at 26.6 deg C and mean temperature at 29 deg C were also the highest on record.
33 deg C
Highest mean daily maximum temperature for the month of September, recorded last month.
32.2 deg C
Previous record for the month set in 1997.
The monthly total rainfall for last month was also the lowest for past readings in the same month, at 22.8mm.
The last record held for the lowest total rainfall for the month was September 1994, with 23.7mm.
MSS said that across the island, total rainfall recorded was 44 per cent below what was normal for the month.
September was the third month in a row that monthly rainfall has been more than 40 per cent below normal.
The total rainfall for July and August was 51 per cent and 81 per cent below normal respectively.
The three-month dry period meant there was a rainfall deficit situation in that timeframe. The last time this happened was more than five years ago, in 2014 from January to March.
Last month also saw the first reported occurrence of a landspout in Singapore, on Sept 22 in Gul Way, in the Tuas area. The rotating column of wind lasted for several minutes and ripped off parts of a building's roof, said MSS.
