Hot in Singapore, but not likely to get hazy for now

Samantha Boh Straits Times AsiaOne 1 Jul 15;

Singapore continues to swelter, with the hot, dry weather showing no signs of letting up.

The total monthly rainfall for this month is predicted to be 15 per cent to 45 per cent below average. Temperatures, on the other hand, are forecasted to be above average. Yesterday, a high of 34 deg C was recorded at Admiralty at 3.36pm.

But the silver lining, experts say, is that with relatively few fires spotted in Indonesia, the haze is unlikely to make a comeback for now.

According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite images, there were seven hot spots in Sumatra as of yesterday evening.

Isolated hot spots were detected in Borneo and Vietnam.

Residents in Karachi, Pakistan's financial capital, making use of a damaged water pipe to keep cool. A heatwave killed more than 1,000 people and sent 14,000 to hospital last week as temperatures hit 44 deg C, although the worst appears to be over.

Dr Erik Velasco, a research scientist at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology's Centre for Environmental Sensing and Modelling, said the low numbers mean that the risk of transboundary haze here is low.

The 24-hour PSI stood between 56 and 61 as of 8pm yesterday, which puts it in the low-moderate range. It is considered unhealthy when the 24-hour PSI crosses 100.

"And while there was haze in Riau, the wind did not bring it here," he added. A light haze is currently blanketing Dumai and several other cities in Riau .

Yesterday the Jakarta Post reported that poor visibility had disrupted flights at Dumai City's Pinang Kampai Airport over the last three days.

The National Environment Agency said last Friday that there will be an increased risk of transboundary haze here in the coming months, as the weather is expected to be drier and warmer than usual.

This is a result of the strengthening El Nino phenomenon.

Hot days with highs of up to 34°C in first half of July
Today Online 1 Jul 15;

SINGAPORE — Expect several warm days with temperatures up to 34°C in the afternoon, thundery showers as well as slight haze in the first half of this month.

Short-duration thundery showers are likely on three to five days, mostly in the late morning and early afternoon, while thundery showers with gusty winds are expected on one or two days in the morning, said the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) today in its fortnightly outlook.

“Slightly hazy conditions can be expected on a few days, in particular in the early morning, due to the accumulation of particulate matter under light wind conditions,” said the MSS.

On average, the daily maximum temperature for July is 30.9°C, while the daily minimum temperature is 24.6°C.

July typically has the lowest average monthly rainfall each year at 158.6mm, and the rainfall for the first half of this month is likely to be below normal, added the MSS.

Last week, the MSS warned of drier and warmer over the next few months, and a higher possiblity of the haze returning, partly due to El Nino, which are likely to further develop in the months ahead. These conditions are expected to last from June till September or early October,

Last month, dry and warm conditions were experienced on most days, said the MSS. There were thundery showers on several days, with the highest daily total rainfall for June at 69mm on June 16, in the Jurong area. Most parts of Singapore received below-average rainfall. The central and eastern parts of Singapore around Whampoa and Marine Parade, respectively, saw the lowest rainfall recorded.