SINGAPORE - Several trees toppled in Upper Thomson Road after a heavy downpour on Sunday afternoon (Feb 17), causing a traffic jam.

Mr Tan, 31, told The Straits Times that a tree fell on his car while he was travelling along Upper Thomson Road at about 4.30pm.

His wife was behind the wheel at the time while Mr Tan was with his two children, aged two years and three months old, in the back seat.

The tree landed on the rear of the car and the impact shattered the rear windshield.

"We are extremely thankful that our young kids seated in the back seat were unharmed despite the shattered glass," said Mr Tan, who is a civil servant.

The family sought cover at a sheltered carpark immediately, and contacted the police.

"Hopefully... (this will) prompt the necessary actions to replace the trees of concern along our roads," he said.

A reader told ST at around 4.45pm that at least one tree fell on the road and hit a car. It was raining heavily then and the wind was strong.

When ST arrived at the scene, the rain had ceased and the car was gone.

At least three trees had snapped and their crowns and part of their trunks were lying on the road.

One of the trees lay across two of the three lanes of the road, obstructing the flow of traffic headed in the direction of Yishun. This caused a long line of cars to form.

Workers were later spotted clearing the road and removing the fallen foliage.

ST understands that the three trees were Sterculia parviflora trees.

The National Parks Board's (NParks) online flora and fauna database states that such trees are native to Singapore, with common names given as Kelumpang Burong, Kelumpang Gajah, or Samrong.

Besides the three trees that fell on Sunday, two Pterocarpus indicus trees, more commonly known as Angsana trees, had their branches broken.

It is understood that no one was injured.

While the cause of the fallen trees is still unclear, there were strong winds and heavy rain in the afternoon.

In a tweet at about 5.15pm, the National Environment Agency warned of heavy rain in several parts of Singapore.

"Moderate to heavy thundery showers with gusty wind are expected to continue over many areas of Singapore between 5.15pm and 6.30pm," it said.

In another tweet about 25 minutes later, it said that the thundery showers had cleared.

ST has contacted the NParks for more information.

Additional reporting by Jeremy Kwan