Southwest monsoon season starts in June: MSS

Short-duration thundery showers and warm nights are expected during the first two weeks of June.
Channel NewsAsia 1 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE: In the next two weeks, short-duration thundery showers can be expected mostly in the late morning and early afternoon on five to seven days as the Southwest Monsoon season begins, said the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on Wednesday (Jun 1).

Thundery showers with gusty winds due to Sumatra squalls are likely on one to two days in the pre-dawn and morning, MSS said, adding that rainfall for the first fortnight of June 2016 is expected to be slightly below average.

The Met Service said that during the Southwest Monsoon season, the nights can be relatively warm, especially on non-rain days when the winds are light and blow from the southeast, bringing in warm, humid air from the sea toward the land. Daily maximum temperatures of between 32°C and 33°C are expected on most days, and could hit 34°C on a few days.

With the weakening of the El Nino to neutral conditions in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, close to normal rainfall and temperatures can be expected for Singapore in the next one or two months, the weather service said. However, it added that international climate centres forecast that a La Nina could develop in the later part of the year, and this usually brings above average rainfall to our surrounding region.

MAY 2016 WAS SECOND WARMEST ON RECORD

Last month was the second warmest May recorded in Singapore, tying with the record set in May 1997, the Met Service said.

In the first fortnight of May 2016, the days were significantly warmer than usual and the highest daily maximum temperature ranged between 32.8°C and 36.1°C. An increase in the occurrence of rain showers in the second half of May 2016 brought cooler days with the daily maximum temperature ranging between 31.2°C and 35.4°C, but the mean monthly temperature of 29.3°C for May 2016 recorded at the Changi climate station was still 1.0°C warmer than the long-term mean temperature for May.

Most parts of Singapore also received above-average rainfall last month, with the mean rainfall recorded at the climate station last month at 194.2mm, about 23mm above the long-term mean rainfall for May of 171.2mm.

"In the later part of the month, the presence of the monsoon rain band close to Singapore coupled with the presence of tropical cyclones making landfall in the Bay of Bengal and southern China, led to the passage of Sumatra squalls which brought widespread thundery showers and gusty winds to Singapore between midnight and early morning on some days," said MSS.

- CNA/mz


Expect thundery showers in June; second-warmest May recorded
AsiaOne 1 Jun 16;

The first half of June looks to be less dry because short, thundery showers in the late morning and early afternoon are expected.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Wednesday (June 1) that the southwest monsoon season is just around the corner, as it typically starts from June till early October.

Along with short-duration thundery showers in the first fortnight of June, thundery showers with gusty winds are also likely to occur on at least one to two days in the pre-dawn and morning.

However, rainfall during this time period is still expected to be slightly below average. Daily maximum temperatures during this period of time are expected to be between 32 deg C and 33 deg C. Nights can also be relatively warm, particularly on days with no rain.

NEA added that with the weakening of the El Nino climate cycle, close to normal rainfall and temperatures can be expected for Singapore in the next one or two months.

However, international climate centres forecast that a La Nina - a weather phenomenon associated with more rain within this region - could develop in the later part of the year. This usually brings above average rainfall to Singapore's surrounding region.

Second-warmest May on record

In the first two weeks of May, the days were significantly warmer than usual and the highest daily maximum temperature ranged between 32.8 deg C and 36.1 deg C. NEA said the increase in the occurrence of rain showers in the later part of May brought cooler days.

Despite cooler conditions though, the mean monthly temperature of 29.3 deg C recorded at the Changi climate station was still 1.0 deg C warmer than the long-term mean temperature for May.

This makes the month of May the second-warmest May since Singapore temperature records started in 1929, tying with the record set in May 1997.

Overall, NEA said thundery showers in the afternoon on most days in May were due to strong solar heating of land areas coupled with the convergence of winds over Singapore. Therefore, most parts of Singapore received above average rainfall.

The showers were heaviest on May 11, where the highest daily rainfall total recorded was 99.8mm around Yishun.

For updates of the daily weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov.sg, NEA's website or download the myENV app.