Expect a wet and warm Chinese New Year in Singapore

For two or three days around the Lunar New Year period, a monsoon surge is forecast to affect the region, says the Meteorological Service Singapore.
Channel NewsAsia 1 Feb 16;

SINGAPORE: Those heading out over the Chinese New Year period should keep umbrellas handy. An advisory by the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said over the next fortnight, short-duration thundery showers are expected mostly in the afternoon on four to five days.

"For two or three days around the Lunar New Year period, a monsoon surge is forecast to affect the region and this is expected to bring widespread rain and occasionally windy conditions to Singapore," said MSS on Monday (Feb 1).

It added that warmer temperatures over the past few months are expected to continue in the first two weeks of February. During this period, the daily maximum and minimum temperatures could reach as high as 34°C and 27°C respectively on some days, MSS forecast.

MSS said January was the warmest on record since temperature records began in 1929. The mean monthly temperature of 28.2 degrees Celsius eclipses the record of 28 degrees Celsius in January 1998. This follows the warmest December on record the previous month, said MSS, noting that December and January are climatologically the coolest months of the year.

The mean daily maximum temperature of 31.6 degrees Celsius and mean daily minimum temperature of 26 degrees Celsius for January 2016 are 1.2 degrees Celsius and 2.1 degrees Celsius above their respective long-term mean temperatures, said MSS.

Most parts of Singapore received below-average rainfall in January as well.

- CNA/ly

Rainfall to be above average this Chinese New Year, says MSS
Today Online 1 Feb 16;

SINGAPORE — Expect a windy, rainy Chinese New Year period, with a monsoon surge forecast to affect the region, bringing with it widespread rain and occasionally windy conditions.

The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said this today (Feb 1) in its fortnightly forecast, and also pointed out that last month was the warmest January on record.

In the first fortnight of this month, short-duration thundery showers, mostly in the afternoon, are expected on four to five days. The showers may be heavy at times on days when there are convergence of winds, coupled with strong solar heating of land areas, the MSS said. Rainfall for these two weeks is expected to be slightly above average, although warmer temperatures Singapore has experienced in the past few months are expected to continue, the agency added.

During these two weeks, the daily maximum and minimum temperatures could reach as high as 34°C and 27°C, respectively, on some days.

In its review of January, the MSS said there was “significantly warmer than usual conditions”. The average daily maximum temperature (31.6°C) and average daily minimum temperature (26°C) for January were 1.2°C and 2.1°C above their respective long-term means.

“The mean monthly temperature of 28.2°C for January marks the warmest ever January since temperature records began in 1929, surpassing the previous record of 28.0°C set in January 1998,” the MSS said.

“This follows the warmest December on record the previous month. December and January are climatologically the coolest months of the year.”

This is despite showers on many days in January, albeit with below average rainfall. Most showers were due to strong solar heating of land areas and convergence of winds in the vicinity of Singapore, it said.

For the whole of January, the north-eastern part of Singapore around Sengkang had the lowest rainfall — 56 per cent to 62 per cent below average. Conversely, the western part of the island around Jurong saw the highest rainfall — 9 per cent to 59 per cent above average.

The thundery showers were heaviest on Jan 22 where the highest total daily rainfall recorded was 78.8mm around the Kent Ridge area.