Temperatures could hit 35°C in first week of July: MSS

Channel NewsAsia 1 Jul 16;

SINGAPORE: A few days of dry and warm weather conditions can be expected in the first week of July, with daily maximum temperatures reaching a high of 35°C, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said on Friday (Jul 1).

For other days in the first fortnight of July 2016, the daily maximum temperature is forecast to range between 32°C and 34°C, it added.

MSS said prevailing southwest monsoon conditions will continue in the first fortnight of July, and the low level winds are expected to blow mainly from the southeast or southwest.

It added that for the first half of July, most of the thundery showers due to strong solar heating of land areas are forecast to occur in the late morning and early afternoon on four to six days.

In addition, on one or two mornings, the passage of a Sumatra squall is expected to bring thundery showers with gusty winds to most parts of the island, but rainfall for the whole period is likely to be normal.

RECORD DAILY TOTAL RAINFALL IN JUNE

Most of Singapore received above average rainfall in June, said the MSS. The area around Jurong received the highest rainfall of 374.2mm - 126 per cent above average, while the area around Admiralty received the least with 116mm, 19 per cent below average.

Heavy thundery showers on Jun 17 also broke records - the rain that fell over Tuas recorded a daily total rainfall of 217mm, the highest ever recorded for the month of June. The previous highest daily total rainfall record for June was 144.6mm on Jun 4, 2011 at Pasir Ris.

In the last week of June, Singapore experienced a few warm days with low rainfall, and the daily maximum temperature reached 35.7°C on Jun 29, the highest temperature recorded for June 2016. On days that there was widespread rain, daily minimum temperatures hit between 22.2°C and 22.5°C.

MSS said that at the Changi climate station, the mean monthly temperature recorded for June was 28.5°C, slightly warmer than the long-term mean of 28.3°C but cooler than the mean temperature of 29.0°C for June recorded in the last three years.

- CNA/av