January 3, 2025
SINGAPORE – Singaporeans can expect a wet start to the new year, with rain forecast for the next two weeks, said the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on Jan 2.
Moderate to heavy showers are expected on most afternoons, and may extend into the night, said the MSS in its fortnightly advisory.
This may be attributed to prevailing north-east monsoon conditions, where winds approach from the north-east and blow towards the south-west. The wet phase, which lasts from December to January, is expected to bring about more rain in Singapore.
Wetter conditions are also expected in the last few days of January’s first fortnight because of a monsoon surge – a sudden increase in wind speeds causing cold air to surge southwards in the South China Sea.
According to the MSS, Singapore is also under a La Nina watch. This means that La Nina conditions – referring to the phase of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation that brings more rain over the island – may develop within the next few months.
In a Facebook post on Jan 2, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu urged Singaporeans to be prepared for increasingly wet conditions.
“The heavy rainfall and flash floods that affected Singapore in 2024 remind us that our climate is becoming more unpredictable, with extreme weather events likely to grow more frequent and intense,” she said.
Daily temperatures in January’s first fortnight are likely to range between 24 deg C and 33 deg C, with the temperature possibly dropping to a low of 22 deg C in the middle of the month.
The last two weeks of 2024 saw many warm and wet days, when thundery showers fell on most afternoons, said the MSS. Temperatures ranged between 32 deg C and 34 deg C, while about half the island recorded above average rainfall in the final fortnight of 2024.
In particular, 134.6mm of rainfall was recorded in central Singapore in just over two hours on the afternoon of Dec 29. It amounted to about 41 per cent of the country’s average monthly rainfall in December and lies within the top 1 per cent of maximum daily rainfall records since 1978.
The downpour led to flash floods in several areas, including Dunearn Road, Bukit Timah Road and Balmoral Road, noted Ms Fu in her Facebook post. These subsided within 20 minutes, with most affected roads cleared within an hour.
Ms Fu added that national water agency PUB quickly responded to the flash floods, closing off affected areas and directing traffic away.
“While we cannot predict the exact timing or intensity of extreme weather events, heavy rainfall can sometimes overwhelm our drainage systems, resulting in localised flash floods,” she said, urging people to stay updated with weather forecasts and flood alerts.
To check the daily weather forecast, go to www.weather.gov.sg, or download the MyENV app.
- Angelica Ang is a journalist on The Straits Times’ breaking news team, where she covers the latest local and international developments.