Wet weather expected to continue into first half of September: Met Service
There will also be a few warm and humid nights.
A person crossing the road in the rain in Singapore. (File photo: Jeremy Long)
SINGAPORE: Wet weather is expected to continue into the first half of September, said the Meteorological Service Singapore on Thursday (Sep 1).
In its fortnightly outlook, the Met Service said that the first two weeks of September will be "wet with a few warm days".
Thundery showers are forecast between the morning and early afternoon over parts of Singapore on most days, as the monsoon rain band is expected to lie over the equatorial Southeast Asia region.
"The development of low-pressure systems over the northern South China Sea could trigger Sumatra squalls over the Strait of Malacca and bring widespread thundery showers and gusty winds to Singapore between the early and pre-dawn hours on some days," said the Met Service.
Widespread moderate to heavy thundery showers can be expected on one or two days, when prevailing winds in the region converge over Singapore and the surrounding region.
The total rainfall for the first half of the month is likely to be near average over most parts of the island.
On most days, the daily temperature is forecast to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 33 degrees Celsius, with some days reaching daily highs of about 34 degrees Celsius.
On a few rainy days, the daily minimum temperature may dip to below 22 degrees Celsius.
Warm and humid conditions as well as minimum temperatures of up to 28 degrees Celsius can be expected on a few nights, particularly in the south-eastern areas of the country.
REVIEW OF AUGUST WEATHER
South-west monsoon conditions prevailed over the region in August, with low-level winds blowing from the south-east or south-west on most days, and from the east on a few days, the Met Service said.
The second half of August saw more showers than the first half, which can be largely attributed to the passage of the wet phase of the Madden-Julian Oscillation.
The phenomenon is characterised as an eastward propagation of clouds and rainfall over the tropical regions from the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean, with a period of between 30 and 60 days on average.
On most days in August, moderate to heavy thundery showers affected the island in the late morning and afternoon, extending into the evening on a few days.
Passing Sumatra squalls brought widespread thundery showers with gusty winds to Singapore in the morning on several days.
On Aug 23, large-scale convergence of winds in the surrounding area brought moderate to heavy thundery showers and gusty winds over Singapore in the morning. The highest daily total rainfall recorded that day was 118.2mm at Jurong, the highest daily total rainfall for the month.
The daily maximum temperature was kept below 34 degrees Celsius on most days due to the rainy weather, which brought several days with cool nighttime temperatures.
There were 20 days with daily minimum temperatures of 24 degrees Celsius or less. The lowest daily minimum temperature was 21.7 degrees Celsius, recorded at Jurong on Aug 16.
There were still some warm days in August, mainly in its first half. The highest daily maximum temperature of 35.1 degrees Celsius was recorded at Marina Barrage on Aug 11 and Aug 17.
"On a few nights during the month, the daily minimum temperature over the southern, eastern and western coastal areas of the island were above 28 degrees Celsius," the Met Service said.
About two-thirds of the country experienced above average rainfall in August, with most of the rain falling over the northern and western parts of Singapore.
The rainfall recorded at Jurong was 115 per cent above average while the recording at Chai Chee was 21 per cent below average.
