Dry season hits Singapore earlier than usual

Channel NewsAsia 22 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE: Expect drier weather ahead, met services indicated on Thursday (Jan 22), as the dry phase of the Northeast Monsoon season has come slightly earlier than usual.

The Northeast Monsoon is made up of a wet phase from late November to January, followed by a dry phase in February - traditionally one of the driest months of the year.

Singapore has been experiencing fewer rain days since the middle of January, and the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said the total rainfall for this month is expected to be up to 40 to 60 per cent below the long-term average of 242.4mm.

Below-average rainfall is also forecast for next month, although met officials said the dry weather is unlikely to be as bad as that experienced during a record dry spell last year.

MSS says the early onset of the dry weather is partly due to stronger winds in the region which have caused an earlier shift of the monsoon rain belt away from Singapore.

This follows a relatively wet November and December last year, where total rainfall was 27 per cent and 20 per cent respectively above the long-term average.

- CNA/xk

Drier, cooler weather starts earlier this year
Today Online 22 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE — Drier and cooler weather has come earlier this year, as Singapore experiences significantly below average rainfall this month for the second year running.

Below average rainfall is also expected next month, although the dryness is not expected to be of the same degree as the record dry spell last year, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) today (Jan 22).

The total rainfall this month is expected to be about 40-60 per cent below the long-term average of 242.4mm, said the NEA. From Jan 1 to 21, the total rainfall averaged across rainfall stations islandwide was 83.7mm, while rainfall recorded at the Changi climate station was 79.6mm.

This earlier onset of the dry phase of the North-east Monsoon is due in part to stronger winds in the surrounding region, which have “caused an earlier southward shift of the monsoon rain belt away from Singapore”, the NEA added. February is typically one of the driest months of the year.

In November and December last year, total rainfall was 27 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively, above the long-term average.

For the rest of this month, expect generally dry and windy conditions with short-duration showers on a few days.

PUB would also like to urge the community and industries to use water wisely and conserve water resources, said the NEA.

Dry spell to continue into next month
Today Online 23 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE — For the second year running, January has seen significantly less rain than usual although the dry conditions that Singapore is experiencing now are not expected to be as bad last year, when more NEWater had to be pumped into reservoirs to keep water reserves at healthy levels.

Compared with the long-term average, total rainfall up to Wednesday was only about one-third of the long-term average of 242.4mm, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) in a press release yesterday.

By the end of this month, the total rainfall is expected to be 40 per cent to 60 per cent lower than usual, while below-average rainfall is also forecast for next month, it added, urging the community and industries to use water wisely.

“Singapore has been experiencing fewer rainy days since mid-January with the onset of the dry phase of the North-east Monsoon. With low rainfall forecast for the rest of the month, total rainfall for January is expected to be significantly below average,” the NEA said.

“However, the current assessment is that the dry phase of the North-east Monsoon season this year is not likely to be of the same degree of dryness as that experienced during the record dry spell of last year.”

Last year, there was just 72mm of rainfall in January — the lowest since 2010.

The dry spell, which spanned more than 20 days, prompted national water agency PUB to inject 30 million gallons of NEWater per day into the reservoirs to maintain healthy water levels.

Yesterday, the NEA said the North-east Monsoon typically comprises a wet phase from late November to January, followed by a dry phase in February.

The dry phase is characterised by drier and cooler weather and generally windy conditions, it added.

The onset of the dry phase was “slightly earlier than usual” this year, said the NEA, following wetter-than-normal November and December last year.

“A contributing factor is that of stronger winds in the surrounding region which have caused an earlier southward shift of the monsoon rain belt away from Singapore,” said the NEA.

Winds so far this month have also been the strongest since 2010.

It added that the remaining days this month are expected to be generally dry and windy, with mainly localised, brief showers on a few days.

Expect more dry - and windy - days ahead
Lim Yi Han The Straits Times AsiaOne 23 Jan 15;

AFTER a wet November and December which led to flash floods here, the total rainfall this month is expected to be significantly below average.

It could be as much as 60 per cent below the long-term average of 242.4mm for January. From Jan 1 to 21, the total average rainfall at rainfall stations islandwide was 83.7mm.

Below-average rainfall is also expected next month, typically one of the driest of the year, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) yesterday.

Fewer rainy days have occurred since mid-January, with the forecast for the rest of the month being generally dry and windy conditions and any showers likely to be of short duration and localised on a few days.

But despite the prospect of more dry days ahead, a repeat of last year's record dry spell is unlikely, said the NEA. That period, from Jan 13 to Feb 8, was Singapore's most protracted since extensive data recording began five decades ago. The dry forecast is due to an earlier onset of the dry phase of the north-east monsoon. It typically comprises a wet phase from late November to January, followed by a dry phase in February.

The NEA said: "A contributing factor is that of stronger winds in the surrounding region which have caused an earlier southward shift of the monsoon rain belt away from Singapore."

The average daily temperature from Jan 1 to 21 - 26.9 deg C - has been comparable to that of recent years, and it has been windier. During that period, the average wind speed was about 10kmh, the highest in the last five years.

Estate executive Leslie Lim, 40, said: "When there is no rain, it's humid. During the dry spell, it was so uncomfortable that I showered thrice a day."

PUB urged people and industries to conserve water and use it wisely.