Thundery showers expected on most afternoons in second half of April, says Met Service
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Sumatra squalls may bring widespread thundery showers, accompanied by gusty winds, during the pre-dawn hours and mornings on one or two days.
ST PHOTO: JASEL POH
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SINGAPORE – Short, thundery showers are expected over parts of Singapore on most afternoons in the second half of April, the weatherman said.
In its fortnightly weather advisory on April 16, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said these showers may extend into the evening on some days.
Sumatra squalls may also bring widespread thundery showers, accompanied by gusty winds, during the pre-dawn hours and mornings on one or two days.
Sumatra squalls are a common and vigorous line of thunderstorms travelling rapidly towards the South China Sea. The causes of this phenomenon include convection over the warm waters of the Malacca Strait, and converging land breezes passing between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula.
Prevailing winds will be mostly light and variable in direction, and blow from the south-east or south-west on some days, MSS said.
The daily maximum temperatures are likely to range between 33 deg C and 34 deg C on most days, with highs of around 35 deg C on a few days.
The total rainfall for the second fortnight of April is expected to be near average over most parts of the island. There may be a few days with little rainfall.
This is because inter-monsoon conditions are expected to continue for the rest of April.
The inter-monsoon period is characterised by light and variable winds with higher lightning activity. It typically lasts until May, MSS said on April 1.
There was more rainfall here in the first half of April than in the second half of March.
Most of the thundery showers during this period happened in the afternoon, driven by daytime heating. Low-level winds shifted to blow from the south or south-west on some days.
A Sumatra squall brought widespread showers to most parts of the island on the morning of April 7. That day, the area around Punggol recorded the highest daily rainfall of the fortnight at 60.8mm.
Maximum temperatures exceeded 34 deg C on 12 days in that fortnight, with the highest maximum daily temperature of 35.4 deg C recorded in Paya Lebar on April 5.
Most parts of the island recorded below average rainfall in those two weeks. The area around Bedok North registered rainfall of 91 per cent below average, while the area around Seletar registered rainfall of 5 per cent above average.
