2022 one of the wettest years in Singapore for the past four decades
There was, however, less rain in May and May 13 ended up being the warmest day of that month on record, with a recorded temperature of 36.7 degrees Celsius at Admiralty.
Two women walk with umbrellas under the rain in Singapore. (File photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
SINGAPORE: 2022 was one of the wettest years Singapore faced in the past four decades, according to the Meteorological Service Singapore (Met Service) on Monday (Jan 30).
Last year was the sixth wettest year since 1980, with the average annual total rainfall over the country almost 19 per cent higher than the long-term average from 1991 to 2020, said the Met Service.
The higher-than-average total rainfall in 2022 was partly influenced by persistent La Nina conditions along with a negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), which typically results in wetter-than-average conditions over Singapore and the nearby region.
La Nina is a climate phenomenon in the Pacific region, while IOD refers to a sustained change in the difference between sea surface temperatures in the tropical western and eastern Indian Ocean.
The Met Service's Changi climate station also recorded a total of 210 rain days, the third highest after the record high of 222 in 1973 and 1927.
A rain day is defined as a day with 0.2mm of rainfall recorded at a rainfall station, said the Met Service.
Last October's rainfall was the highest for that month in the past 40 years and the average rainfall for the month was 412.0mm.
The Changi climate station recorded 27 rain days, which exceeded the previous record of 23 for the month of October.
Last March was also the wettest March since 2009, said the Met Service.
"The wet weather in March 2022 was mainly triggered by strong solar heating of land areas coupled with (the) convergence of winds over the island," it added.
A total of 134.22mm of rainfall was recorded on March 7 in Jurong West, the second highest for the month of March in the last 10 years.
"WARMEST DECADE ON RECORD"
Despite the wetter conditions, Singapore’s annual mean temperature in 2022 was the 10th highest since temperature records began in 1929.
The past decade from 2013 to 2022 was also the warmest decade on record, breaking the previous record set last year in 2021.
The mean temperature from 2013 to 2022 was 28.01 degrees Celsius, 0.04 degrees Celsius higher than the previous record from 2012 to 2021 (27.97 degrees Celsius).
May 13, 2022, was the warmest date in May on record, with a temperature of 36.7 degrees Celsius recorded at Admiralty.
This surpassed the previous high of 36.5 degrees Celsius on May 16, 2010, and May 3, 2016.
At the Changi climate station, the daily maximum temperature of 35.4 degrees Celsius recorded on May 29, 2022, tied the record for the warmest day in May.
May was also the warmest month of the year at the Marina Barrage, with an average temperature of 29.9 degrees Celsius recorded.
Pasir Panjang faced the driest month of the year in July, with only 38.8mm of rain for the month.
Jurong West had the coolest day of 2022 when the temperature dropped to 20.4 degrees Celsius on Feb 20.
The area also had the coolest month, with the average temperature in December clocking 26.1 degrees Celsius.
