Channel NewsAsia 29 Jan 14;
SINGAPORE: The current dry and occasionally breezy weather is expected to continue for the next one to two weeks.
In a statement on Wednesday, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said slight haze may occur under light wind conditions on a few mornings.
The cool daily minimum temperature is expected to increase slightly to around 23.5 degrees Celsius, which is the long-term average for January and February.
NEA said Singapore is currently in the dry phase of the Northeast Monsoon season, typically characterised by drier and cooler weather and generally windy conditions.
This dry phase has set in earlier than usual this year, leading to fewer rain days and significantly lower rainfall this month.
The last few weeks have also been marked by a spell of cooler-than-normal minimum temperatures.
Since January 14 this year, daily minimum temperatures of between 21 and 22 degrees Celsius were recorded in various parts of the island.
The cooler-than-normal temperatures are due to a surge of cold winds from a high pressure system over China, blowing towards Singapore and the region.
Singapore last experienced a similar spell of cool minimum temperatures during the Northeast Monsoon in early 2009.
The rainfall total for this month so far has ranged from 40 to 125 millimetres across the island, which is 45 to 80 per cent below the long-term average.
At the Changi climate station, 75.4 millimetres of rainfall and five rain days were recorded over this period, compared to the long-term average rainfall of 242.3 millimetres and 15 rain days for January.
For the Lunar New Year holiday period, the weather is expected to be fair and occasionally windy, with the daily temperature ranging between 23 and 31 degrees Celsius.
- CNA/ms
Malaysia: It will be a cool CNY
The Star 31 Jan 14;
PETALING JAYA: There will be no rain in most parts of the country, making it a cooler than usual Chinese New Year, according to the Meteorological Department.
Department director-general Datuk Che Gayah Ismail said he expected the weather to persist until early March.
The north-easterly winds from China is contributing to this cooler than usual weather.
This weather is apparently normal during this time of the year.
Che Gayah said that the haze was making the days drier – pollutants from factories and cars are trapped in the air, particularly true in urban areas, creating localised haze.
“There will be no rain for at least five days. Only when it rains will these pollutants be washed away,” said Che Gayah.
The department has issued warnings of strong winds and rough seas for Kelantan, Terengganu, Johor, Pahang, Sarawak, Labuan, and Sabah.
Frost on Mount Kinabalu
Ruben Sario The Star 30 Jan 14;
KOTA KINABALU: The unusually low temperatures in Sabah has sprinkled a layer of frost on the plants on Mount Kinabalu, especially near Panar Laban and Laban Rata at an altitude of just over 3,000m.
In addition, the cold has frozen the water droplets in the mist shrouding the mountain.
“It’s like tiny ice crystals in the air that melt when they touch your skin. It’s magical,” said seasoned tour guide Tham Yau Kong.
Trekkers and staff of the Laban Rata rest house have noticed the frost and ice crystals for the past three to four days.
Tham, who reckons he has trekked up the mountain about 500 times, said he has noticed frost at the peak about 20 times.
“It’s not a new phenomena.
“‘’I am sure the frost is due to the cooler than normal temperatures that we have been experiencing in Sabah for the past two weeks or so,” he said on Thursday.
