2017 hottest year on record not influenced by El Nino, says weatherman

KENNETH CHENG Today Online 12 Jan 18;

SINGAPORE — 2017 was the hottest year on record that was not influenced by an El Nino event, the weatherman said, pointing to the effects of global warming and urbanisation.

The mean annual temperature of 27.7°C in Singapore was 0.2°C higher than the long-term average from 1981 to 2010, but lower than 2016's record of 28.4°C.

It was the joint 12th hottest year on record since data collection began in 1929, the Meteorological Service Singapore (Met Service) said on Thursday (Jan 11).

The El Nino phenomenon — which contributed to 2015 and 2016 being successive record warm years — leads to drier and warmer conditions, particularly between June and October across South-east Asia.

It is the warm phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a temperature cycle in the tropical central and eastern Pacific Ocean that is a major contributor to year-to-year rainfall and temperature variations in Singapore and the region.

The ENSO was "neutral" throughout last year, except in November and December, when it reached "borderline La Nina" values. La Nina is ENSO's cold phase.

"Given the influence ENSO can have on temperatures, it is not surprising that following 2015's large El Nino event which contributed to 2015 and 2016 being successive record warm years, no temperature record was broken in 2017," the Met Service said in its summary of Singapore's weather and climate in 2017.

A detailed Annual Climate Assessment Report will be released on World Meteorological Day in March.

There were nonetheless some sweltering days last year. October was a warm month, and the hottest day was recorded on March 15 in Jurong West, with the thermometer registering 35.7°C.

Temperatures also exceeded 34°C in some areas in January and December, which are usually the cooler months of the year.

The total rainfall for 2017 was "close to normal", said the Met Service. At 2,045.6mm, it was about 6 per cent lower than the long-term average of 2,165.9mm.

Still, heavy downpours from intense thunderstorms led to flash floods, while strong winds from Sumatra squalls also downed trees and branches.

Northeast Monsoon surges led to a wet February and December 2017. In February, a typically dry month, there were 15 rain days, almost twice the average for that month.

Singapore experienced widespread, intermittent rain on the last two days of December due to a monsoon surge and a nearby vortex in the South China Sea.

December was the wettest month, with 371.2mm of rainfall recorded, 17 per cent above the long-term average.

Globally, 2017 was among the hottest years on record.

In November, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said the year was on course to be the second or third warmest on record.

Continuing global warmth means that 2015, 2016 and 2017 were now the three warmest years on record, according to data available to date for 2017, it had said.

Significant weather and climate events in 2017 included a "very active North Atlantic hurricane season, major monsoon floods in the Indian subcontinent, and continuing severe drought in parts of east Africa", said the WMO. In September, for instance, Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, killing hundreds of people and causing widespread damage of infrastructure.

SNAPSHOT OF SINGAPORE'S WEATHER AND CLIMATE IN 2017

27.7 - mean annual temperature (°C)

Warmest month – June (Marina Barrage)

Coolest month – February (Clementi)

Wettest month – November (Sembawang)

90 – strongest wind gust (kmh), recorded on Sept 20 in Pasir Panjang

2017 warmest year on record for Singapore that's not influenced by El Nino: Met Service
Channel NewsAsia 11 Jan 18;

SINGAPORE: The year 2017 was the warmest on record for Singapore that was not influenced by an El Nino event, said the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on Thursday (Jan 11).

The mean annual temperature for 2017 was 27.7°C, which is 0.2°C warmer than the long-term average.

In comparison, the mean annual temperature in 2016 was 28.4°C - but that was a year influenced by El Nino.

The hottest day in 2017 was Oct 18 as far as official records are concerned, with temperatures hitting a high of 34.6°C based on the Changi climate station. That is the main weather facility where the Met Service collects long-term data.

However, the hottest weather for the year actually fell on Mar 15, when the Jurong West climate station recorded a temperature of 35.7°C.

January and December - normally the cooler months of the year - also saw warmer than usual temperatures on some days, MSS added.

This is indicative of the long-term temperature rise that Singapore has been experiencing due to factors such as global warming and urbanisation, it said.

No temperature records were broken in 2017.

New temperature record for Singapore in 2017, another sign of climate change
Audrey Tan Straits Times 11 Jan 18;

SINGAPORE - Singapore broke another temperature record last year in what the weatherman says is another sign of global warming.

The mean annual temperature in 2017 was 27.7 deg C, the Meteorological Services Singapore (MSS) said on Thursday (Jan 11) in its review of the weather and climate in 2017.

In comparison, the mean annual temperature was lower than the figures for the two previous years: 28.4 deg C in 2016, and 28.3 deg C in 2015. But both these years were influenced by the El Nino weather phenomenon, associated with hot and dry weather in this part of the world.

This makes last year the warmest year on record that was not influenced by El Nino, said the MSS.

"This is indicative of the long-term temperature rise that Singapore has been experiencing due to factors such as global warming and urbanisation," said the MSS in Thursday's statement.

The 27.7 deg C mean annual temperature was also 0.2 deg C warmer than the long-term average, said the agency, which has been tracking temperature records in Singapore since 1929.

Experts have pointed out that Singapore will face more extreme weather conditions due to climate change, including rising temperatures, prolonged dry spells and more intense rainfall.

The MSS review of last year's weather already showed telltale signs of such events.

Very warm days were experienced in Singapore last year despite it not being an El Nino year, with the hottest day experienced on Oct 18 with a high of 34.6 deg C.

"The normally cool months of January and December also saw warmer than usual temperatures on some days," said the MSS.

Heavy rain from intense thunderstorms caused flash floods, fallen trees and branches. A waterspout - associated with thunderstorm clouds - was also observed off Singapore's southern coast in June.

February, usually a dry season, saw twice the amount of rain compared with the long-term average, said the MSS.

But the wettest month of the year was recorded in December, with a total rainfall of 371.2mm.