News Update Rough weather ahead: NEA Flood prone areas in Singapore

ALPHONSUS CHERN

BRACE yourself for more wet weather. Heavy rain may hit Singapore from as early as Thursday and may last until Sunday, the result of two weather systems in the area, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Wednesday.

A moderate 'Sumatra' squall may bring thunderstorms and heavy rain, lasting from one to hours, either Thursday or Friday morning.

A typical squall is also accompanied by gusty winds of between 40 and 80 kmh. Occasionally, such gusts are strong enough to uproot trees. The effects from tropical storm 'Chanthu' hitting southern China on Thursday may also result in short showers with thunder from the late morning and afternoon from Thursday to Sunday.

Singapore is not directly affected by tropical storms. But they do influence local weather patterns bringing more rain or unstable weather due to winds converging in the area. For example, the recent flooding of Orchard Road was a result of typhoon which hit Vietnam.

Much of the current unusual weather in the region can be attributed to the La Nina effect. Unlike the El Nino weather pattern which heralds hot, dry weather, La Nina is associated with wetter weather as it exacerbates storms, droughts and cyclones.

Typically, Singapore's wettest month is in December when the North-east monsoon serves up several spells of heavy rain lasting up to a week. Although heavy rain over the next few days is almost a given, the NEA has said, however, that the poor weather may not necessarily result in more flooding.