Expect thundery showers in first half of August in Singapore

More thundery showers can be expected in the first half of August. ST PHOTO: TIMOTHY DAVID

SINGAPORE - More thundery showers can be expected in the first half of August, with daily temperatures ranging between 24 deg C and 33 deg C on most days.

Prevailing south-west monsoon conditions mean low-level winds are expected to blow from the south-east or south-west, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said on Monday (Aug 2).

Short-duration thundery showers have been forecast for the first fortnight of the month, and will occur mainly between late morning and afternoon.

On a few days, the thundery showers could be heavy due to strong daytime heating of the land coupled with the converging winds over Singapore and its surrounding vicinity.

This could influence the development of Sumatra squalls - a line of thunderstorms originating over Sumatra island or the Strait of Malacca - leading to widespread thundery showers and gusty winds over Singapore between the pre-dawn hours and the morning.

Overall, the rainfall for the first fortnight of August is forecast to be above average over most parts of the island.

A few warm days can be expected during this same period, with a maximum temperature of around 34 deg C, MSS said.

Warm and humid conditions can be expected on some nights when winds from the south-east or south blow warm air from the sea. Minimum night-time temperatures of up to 28 deg C can be expected.

The highest total rainfall in July, at 114.2mm, was recorded in Bukit Panjang on July 13, when thundery showers fell over many parts of the island throughout the day.

Fourteen of the 31 days in July saw temperatures exceeding 34 deg C. The hottest temperature of 35.2 deg C was recorded at Marina Barrage last Friday.

There were several warm nights, particularly over the southern parts of the island, where minimum night-time temperatures was around 28 deg C.

Rainfall was above average over many parts of Singapore in July. Tai Seng had the highest rainfall anomaly of 108 per cent above average, while rainfall in Tuas was 22 per cent below average.

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