SINGAPORE - The rest of January will be drier than the past weeks, although short thundery showers on one or two afternoons or evenings can be expected over parts of the island, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said on Monday (Jan 17).

This coming week will be windy, while the fair weather and the occasional passing afternoon shower of the past week is likely to continue for the rest of the month.

This is due to dry air mass in the surrounding vicinity of Singapore, the MSS said.

Overall, the rainfall for the whole of January is expected to be below average over most parts of the island.

The daily temperature is forecast to range between 24 deg C and 33 deg C on most days, but can reach around 34 deg C on days with lighter winds.

The turn of the new year had been cool and wet from Dec 31 to Jan 2 across the island, with a surge of moderate to strong north-east winds over the South China Sea.

Widespread and continuous moderate rain between the pre-dawn hours and afternoon on Jan 2 saw 101.2mm of rainfall recorded at Lower Peirce Reservoir in a single day. Average rainfall in the month of January from 1991 to 2020 was 221.6mm.

North-east monsoon conditions prevailed in the first two weeks of the month, with low-level winds blowing from the north or north-east.

The lowest temperature for the first two weeks of January was recorded in Clementi on Jan 2, locking in at 22.8 deg C.

The highest temperature of 34.5 deg C was recorded on Sentosa island on Jan 13.

The rainfall for the first half of the month was below average over most parts of the island, except for northern and central Singapore, where rainfall was above average.

Ang Mo Kio was wetter than most parts - receiving 82 per cent above average rainfall - while Chai Chee was particularly dry, with 34 per cent below average rainfall recorded.