Hang on to the umbrella for a little longer because heavy rain is set to prevail in the second half of this month before dry and warm weather conditions take over again towards the end of the month, the Meteorological Service Singapore said yesterday.

While showers in the first two weeks of this month have been a welcome respite from last month's warm weather, storms will persist at least for the next few days, before the monsoon rain band shifts northwards in the last week of this month and puts a halt to the wet but cool weather.

In the later half of this month, showers are forecast to take place mostly in the late morning, and in the early afternoon on four to six days. On some days, the showers are expected to extend into the late afternoon and evening, said the weatherman.

On two to three days, Sumatra squalls will also see various parts of the island experiencing widespread thundery showers accompanied by gusty winds between predawn and morning. Overall, the rainfall for this month is forecast to be slightly above normal levels for most parts of Singapore.

In the last two weeks of this month, the daily temperature on most days is expected to range between 25 deg C and 33 deg C, with mercury levels possibly soaring to a stifling 35 deg C in the last week.

Temperatures are expected to hit 28 deg C on some evenings, as a result of prevailing winds blowing from the south-east, but they will be bringing in warm and humid air from the sea.

Last month's warm weather saw the maximum temperature hovering above 34 deg C on most days, forcing people to reach for the air-conditioner remotes.

In contrast, the daily maximum temperature recorded in the first half of this month ranged between 28.2 deg C and 33.9 deg C.

The presence of the monsoon rain band over the equatorial region and the passage of the Madden-Julian Oscillation - which facilitated the formation of thunderstorm clouds over the region - were responsible for the generally wet weather over the island in the first half of this month.