SINGAPORE - Don't forget your umbrella when you go visiting this Chinese New Year, as a monsoon surge is expected to hit the region, bringing with it widespread rain and occasional windy conditions.
Rainfall for the first two weeks of February is expected to be slightly above average, with short-duration thundery showers in the afternoons of four to five days, said the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on Monday (Feb 1).
The MSS said this is due to prevailing low level winds blowing predominantly from the north or north-east.
The warmer temperatures experienced in the past few months are also expected to persist into the first two weeks of the month. During this period, the daily maximum and minimum temperatures could reach as high as 34 deg C and 27 deg C respectively on some days.
Last month, the Republic also experienced a monsoon surge, albeit a weak one, causing moderate rain on a few days of the month.
But for most days, the country experienced afternoon and early evening thundery showers, due to strong solar heating of land areas and convergence of winds in the vicinity of Singapore, said the MSS.
The thundery showers were heaviest on Jan 22 where the highest total daily rainfall recorded was 78.8mm around the Kent Ridge area.
Most parts of Singapore, however, received below average rainfall last month.
Rainfall was lowest around Sengkang, where 86mm to 98mm was recorded. This is 56 to 62 per cent below average.
The highest rainfall of 235mm to 322mm, which is 9 to 59 per cent above average, was recorded around Jurong.
Despite the rainy weather, last month was significantly warmer than usual. The mean daily maximum and minimum temperatures were 31.6 deg C and 26 deg C respectively, 1.2 deg C and 2.1 deg C above their respective long-term means for January.
The mean monthly temperature of 28.2 deg C last month was also the highest mean temperature recorded for the month of January since 1929, surpassing the previous record of 28 deg C set in January 1998.
This follows the warmest December on record the previous month.
For updates of the daily weather forecast, visit the MSS website (www.weather.gov.sg), the National Environment Agency website (www.nea.gov.sg), or download the myENV app.
