SINGAPORE – The mercury soared to 36.2 deg C in Choa Chu Kang on Friday, surpassing the highest temperature officially recorded in Singapore in 2023.

Friday’s high was recorded in the south of Choa Chu Kang at 2.46pm, exceeding the previous reported highest temperature of 2023, which was on April 14, when it hit 36.1 deg C in Admiralty.

The highest-ever daily maximum temperature was 37 deg C in Tengah on April 17, 1983.

The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) had previously forecast that the warm and humid weather experienced in April was expected to continue into the first half of May.

“May is normally one of the warmest months of the year,” MSS said in an earlier release. The first half of May is forecast to be warm and humid, with daily maximum temperatures reaching 34 deg C on most afternoons, it added.

“On a few days when there is less cloud cover, the daily maximum temperature could reach a high of around 35 deg C.”

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Friday that schools have measures in place to help students and staff cope with the heat.

For instance, students will be encouraged to minimise outdoor physical activities from 10.30am to 3.30pm, when heat and ultraviolet levels are generally higher.

MOE said: “Schools may also explore ways to help students better manage the heat, such as allowing students to dress in PE attire or their school T-shirt, depending on their specific needs.”

The ministry did not elaborate on the thresholds used to determine high temperatures.

It said that both the ministry and schools will continue monitoring the heat situation as well as students’ and staff’s well-being closely, especially those who may be more vulnerable to the effects of higher temperatures.