Malaysia: Hot spell to continue

New Straits Times 8 Feb 14;

KUALA LUMPUR: The hot weather in Malaysia is expected to continue for the next seven days as the northeast monsoon will be coming to an end, said the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

Its Central Forecast Office director, Muhammad Helmi Abdullah, said the hot and dry season was a normal phenomenon during this period because of the lack of cloud formation.

"Less cloud formation causes the public to experience high temperatures in the morning and low temperatures at night as there are no clouds to cover them in the morning or to trap heat in the night.

"The temperature changes from day to night are intense as some places experience differences by up to 15ºC compared with only 7ºC to 8ºC on normal days."

He said the extreme changes in temperature might affect people's health. The normal temperature is 33ºC but the temperature in certain areas is now 34ºC to 35ºC .

"Those living in urban areas will feel the effects of the hot weather the most," said Helmi .

He said the hot and dry spell also occurred in several countries, such as Indonesia and Singapore, which went without rain for 20 days, the longest dry spell in five years.

In Malaysia, he said, small amounts of rainfall occurred in remote areas at Sarawak, Perak, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.

Read more: Hot spell to continue - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/hot-spell-to-continue-1.479304#ixzz2shKBu4Bq