Huat a deluge: CNY week drowns February average, brings 2026’s wettest day yet
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SINGAPORE – The Republic saw bountiful rainfall during the Chinese New Year, with the week’s total exceeding February’s monthly average, and the highest daily rainfall of 2026 so far recorded on Feb 19.
The first and second days of Chinese New Year fell on Feb 17 and 18.
A total of 166.7mm of rain fell between Feb 13 and 19, surpassing the February monthly average of 132.11mm, said the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on Feb 23.
The figure is the sum of the islandwide average daily rainfall, calculated from 32 stations across Singapore with continuous rainfall records since 1980, noted MSS.
The highest daily rainfall so far in 2026, which was 148.6mm, was recorded on Feb 19 in Margaret Drive in Queenstown, said MSS, which is under the National Environment Agency.
The lowest temperature of 2026 thus far was also recorded on the same day. The station in Newton saw a temperature of 20.3 deg C at 9.12pm. In comparison, the lowest recorded temperature in 2025 was 21 deg C in Choa Chu Kang South on July 2.
Several flash floods were reported during the Chinese New Year week. Among them was a flash flood that occurred in Jurong Town Hall Road amid heavy rain across Singapore on the afternoon of Feb 18.
The public was urged to avoid two locations in the west of Singapore and a road in the Bukit Timah area owing to the risk of flash floods on the afternoon of Feb 19.
MSS added on Feb 23 that weather conditions are expected to turn drier for the rest of February, though brief localised thundery showers may still occur on several afternoons.
