Today Online 1 Apr 16;
SINGAPORE — Warm and dry conditions in Singapore are expected to continue over the first two weeks of April, said Metereological Service Singapore (MSS) in a release on Friday (April 1).
The Met Service forecasts conditions to be “significantly dry and warm”, with some days expected to see the daily maximum temperature reach between 33°C and 35°C.
April is climatologically the warmest month of the year, said the weatherman. Rainfall in the next fortnight is likely to be below average, it added.
Last month, Singapore faced the second warmest March on record since 1929 — when temperature records started. And for 18 days in March, daily maximum temperatures exceeded 34°C — Thirteen of these days were in the second half of the month.
Choa Chu Kang experienced the hottest recorded temperature on March 11 at 35.3°C, which was also the highest temperature recorded so far this year.
The mean monthly temperature of 29°C for March was 1.5°C warmer than the long-term mean for March, the weatherman said.
Throughout March this year, rainfall across Singapore was significantly below average, the Met Service added. At the Changi climate station, the total rainfall recorded last month was 6.2mm (96 per cent below average), setting a new record for the driest March in Singapore since rainfall records started in 1869.
The weatherman said prevailing Northeast Monsoon conditions are weakening to give way to inter-monsoon conditions over the next two weeks. The prevailing low level winds during the outlook period are forecast to blow from the northeast and gradually become light and variable in direction.
March was Singapore's driest, 2nd warmest month on record: MSS
Significantly dry and warm conditions are expected to continue for the first two weeks of April, according to the Meteorological Service Singapore.
Channel NewsAsia 1 Apr 16;
SINGAPORE: Last month was the driest March in the Republic's recorded history as well as the second warmest month, according to the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS).
At the Changi climate station, the total rainfall recorded in March was 6.2mm - 96 per cent below average - setting a new record for the driest March in Singapore since rainfall records started in 1869. The previous record was 18.5mm in March 1912.
For 18 days last month, daily maximum temperatures also exceeded 34°C, with 13 of these days in the last two weeks of March.
The highest daily maximum temperature recorded during the month, which was also the highest temperature this year, was 35.3°C at Choa Chu Kang on Mar 11.
The mean monthly temperature of 29°C for the month was 1.5°C warmer than the long-term mean for March, and ranks March 2016 as the second warmest March in Singapore since temperature records started 87 years ago. The warmest March ever was recorded in 1998 with a mean monthly temperature of 29.5°C.
MSS said that for the first two weeks of April, these prevailing dry and warm conditions are expected to continue. MSS forecasts significantly warmer temperatures with daily maximum temperatures of between 33°C and 35°C. April is traditionally the warmest month of the year.
However short-duration thundery showers are expected over parts of Singapore on four to six days in the afternoon.
- CNA/mz
Driest March, with little respite ahead
Audrey Tan, The Straits Times AsiaOne 2 Apr 16;
Singapore has just suffered its most parched March here in over a century, alongside some scorching weather. And the next two weeks will bring little respite, says the weatherman.
Rainfall will likely remain below average, and daily maximum temperatures could soar to a blistering 35 deg C on some days, with short afternoon showers bringing scant relief, said the Meteorological Service.
"The warmer and drier conditions are a direct consequence of El Nino, which some meteorologists have called a Godzilla or Monster El Nino because of its intensity," said Dr Erik Velasco, a research scientist from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology.
High temperatures and less rain in the region could contribute to more fires, and if the winds switch direction, blowing more frequently from the east and south-east, hazy conditions can be expected, he added.
The PSI here has already reached moderate levels, hitting 24-hour levels of 62-70 at 10pm yesterday.
Last month, Changi climate station, which is used as a reference station, collected just 6.2mm of rain, making it the driest March since 1869, when rainfall records started.
But the situation was not as dire as in February 2014 - the country's driest month on record, with just 0.2mm of rain recorded.
And on March 11, the mercury hit 35.3 deg C in Choa Chu Kang, making it the hottest day this year. Out of the 31 days last month, temperatures on 18 days exceeded 34 deg C.
The mean monthly temperature of 29 deg C was also 1.5 deg C warmer than the long-term mean for March, making last month the second warmest March here since temperature records started in 1929.
