Strong winds recorded across Singapore on Sept 17, reaching 83.2kmh at East Coast Park
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A tree uprooted in Choa Chu Kang Grove after heavy and intense rainfall battered Singapore on the evening of Sept 17.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
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SINGAPORE – The gusty winds brought about by a Sumatra squall
The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) under the National Environment Agency recorded that high speed at the weather station at East Coast Park at 7.33pm. Strong winds were also recorded in other parts of Singapore, including Pasir Panjang, Changi, Sembawang and Seletar, where the winds went above 70kmh.
The highest wind gust recorded in Singapore was 144.4kmh, in Tengah on April 25, 1984.
The rainstorm that had developed over the Strait of Malacca swept across the whole island quickly from 7pm to 8.30pm.
As the squall was fast moving, MSS said the island’s average rainfall on Sept 17 evening was 10.3mm, with Bishan experiencing the highest rainfall recorded at 26mm.
It added that the highest average rainfall in September was recorded on Sept 14 at 35.4mm, which was also caused by a Sumatra squall that affected Singapore from about 2.45am to 4.30am.
During the storm on Sept 17
“More rainfall is likely in the last week of the month, with thundery showers expected on most afternoons,” said MSS. “The thundery showers could be widespread and heavy on some of these days.”
In a video of the storm on Sept 17 uploaded on TikTok, two women holding umbrellas are seen struggling to walk against the wind as the heavy rain beats down on them.
The woman who shot the video, Ms Tanya Bedi, told ST that she left work that day at about 7.15pm and was walking towards Somerset MRT station when the storm hit.
The 25-year-old was initially unfazed when a slight drizzle started at around 7.20pm, but noticed that the rain turned into a heavy downpour within seconds.
Ms Bedi, who works in the luxury retail industry, said: “I’m the kind of person who is usually (embarrassed) to run. But in this case, it was so heavy that everyone was running towards the closest shelter, including me.
“I stayed there for about 20 minutes trying to understand what was going on because I’ve never seen anything like this in Singapore.”
There were about 30 people stranded at the same shelter, she said.
Social media was filled with photos and videos of trees that were uprooted in various areas, including Beach Road, Xilin Avenue, Jalan Membina, on the Pan-Island Expressway before the Bukit Timah Expressway exit, and on the Central Expressway near the Yio Chu Kang Flyover.
The National Parks Board said more than 300 trees were affected
Additional reporting by Christie Chiu
