Flash floods, fallen tree as Singapore lashed by 'intense rain'
The driveways of houses near Upper Paya Lebar Road were flooded in murky waters. (Photos: Phua Yeow Meng)
SINGAPORE: Heavy rain lashed several parts of Singapore on Monday (Nov 2), bringing strong gusts of wind and flash floods in certain areas.
"Intense rainfall across Singapore in the afternoon caused flash floods in three locations - Upper Paya Lebar Road, Lorong Gambir and Mount Vernon Road, said National water agency PUB in statement on Facebook on Monday evening.
The floods lasted between 30 and 40 minutes, said PUB, adding that the first flash flood occurred at about 3pm.
Among the flash flood locations, the heaviest rainfall of around 131.4mm was recorded at Tai Seng from 2.40pm to 6.10pm, said PUB. This accounts for more than half of Singapore's average monthly rainfall in November, and is within the top 1 per cent of maximum daily rainfall records for the past 39 years, it added.
READ: More warm days in the first two weeks of November: Met Service
PUB earlier on Monday had tweeted about the heavy rain, asking members of the public to avoid certain areas due to the risk of flash floods as water levels in certain drains and canals reached 90 per cent.
Among the affected areas were Siang Kuang Avenue in Upper Serangoon, Lorong Lew Lian, Sims Drive, MacPherson Road, Balestier Road and Hougang Avenue 7.
A resident at Bunga Rampai Place, off Upper Paya Lebar Road, told CNA that the road along his housing area was flooded at about 3.30pm.
Photos taken by Mr Phua Yeow Meng showed a car immersed in water more than halfway up its wheel and a man with flood water up to his calf level.
Other photos of the incident showed driveways in murky waters, with rubbish bins and traffic cones toppled over.
Mr Phua said he had not expected the downpour to become so intense, and that members of his household rushed to collect their laundry and footwear as the waters rose.
PUB said its quick response teams were deployed to flood sites to render assistance and inspect the drainage system for any obstructions.
"Residents at Paya Lebar Gardens estate along Upper Paya Lebar Road (Service Road) managed to successfully deploy the PUB-issued portable flood barriers provided to them, while PUB officers also distributed inflatable sandbags as an additional precaution against floodwaters," it said.
In addition to the torrential rain, motorists along MacPherson Road were blocked by a fallen tree on Monday afternoon.
Footage shared on social media showed the toppled tree lying across the road amid the heavy downpour. A post in Facebook group SG Road Vigilante said the road was blocked for motorists heading towards Paya Lebar.
The Land Transport Authority tweeted at about 4pm about an obstacle on MacPherson Road towards Tannery Road and Kallang Pudding Road, advising motorists to avoid affected lanes.
The National Parks Board (NParks) was alerted to the fallen tree at about 3.15pm. The 12m tree was then cleared by about 4.20pm.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) tweeted in an update at about 6.40pm that the weather for the rest of Monday would be cloudy, with thundery showers mainly over the north, east and central regions expected on Tuesday afternoon.
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