Channel NewsAsia 12 Oct 14;
SINGAPORE: The hazy conditions that affected Singapore on Saturday (11 Oct) are likely to persist, even though thundery showers are expected on Sunday afternoon (12 Oct).
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said this is due to smoke haze from the surrounding region blown in by the prevailing winds.
Air quality hovered in the "unhealthy" range overnight - at 105 at 1am, and at 108 at 2am and 3am on Sunday. It started slipping to the "moderate" range at 6am, with a reading of 99.
NEA said the overall 24-hour PSI for Singapore is expected to fluctuate between the high end of the "moderate" range and the low end of the "unhealthy" range.
Those who are likely to fall ill due to the haze should reduce or avoid outdoor activities and physical exertion, said NEA.
- CNA/xq
Hazy skies expected sporadically today
Joy Fang Today Online 13 Oct 14;
SINGAPORE — While the smoggy conditions that persisted overnight from Saturday eased yesterday morning, hazy skies are still expected sporadically today, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in its advisory yesterday evening.
Prevailing winds are forecast to be light and variable in direction today, which could blow in haze from the region from time to time, it said. The overall 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) is expected to remain in the high end of the moderate range and the low end of the unhealthy range today, with thundery showers projected in the afternoon.
PSI readings between 50 and 100 fall under the moderate air quality band. Anything above that up to 200 is considered unhealthy air quality.
At 7pm, the one-hour concentrations of PM2.5 air pollutants — tiny particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter — were 28 to 42 ug/m3.
For the most of yesterday, air quality hovered in or close to the unhealthy range. A change in the prevailing wind direction and showers over parts of Singapore in the late afternoon saw the 24-hour PSI dip just into the moderate range of 86 to 99 as at 7pm.
Between 9am and 10am, however, that reading was as high as 92 to 105. The last time the 24-hour PSI persisted in the moderate to unhealthy range was on Oct 7, when it hit a high of 107-125 at 9am.
Given the air quality forecast for the next 24 hours, the NEA said healthy people should reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion. The elderly, pregnant women and children should minimise prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion, while those with chronic lung or heart disease should avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion. Joy Fang
Haze improves, air quality in moderate range
Joy Fang Today Online 12 Oct 14;
The hazy conditions that persisted overnight yesterday (Oct 11) has eased today due to a change in the prevailing wind direction and showers over parts of Singapore in the late afternoon, and the National Environment Agency (NEA) expects conditions to improve tonight and tomorrow.
At 6pm today, the 1-hr concentrations of PM2.5 were 27 - 58 ug/m3, and the 24-hr PSI was 86 -100, in the moderate range.
NEA said prevailing winds are forecast to be light and variable in direction tonight and tomorrow. However as there is smoke haze from the region still around Singapore, hazy conditions can still be expected from time to time. Thundery showers are also expected tomorrow in the afternoon, it added.
The overall 24-hr Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) for Singapore is expected to be in the high-end of the moderate range and the low-end of the unhealthy range.
