Fallen trees, drenched F1 goers: Singapore hit by another round of strong winds and heavy rains

It was yet another wet and stormy night as Singapore was hit by heavy rain and gusty winds on Friday (Sept 20).

The National Environment Agency (NEA) had issued a statement at 10:20pm that evening warning that moderate to heavy thundery showers with strong winds were expected over many parts of the island between 11pm till 1am the next day (Sept 21), reported 8world. 

The storm reportedly swept past Singapore in about 90 minutes. 

This comes after the squall that hit Singapore on Sept 17, which toppled trees and snarled traffic. 

A Facebook video by netizen Bing Callo-loh uploaded at around 11pm on Friday showed the heavy downpour in an undisclosed open-air HDB car park. 

Another video uploaded to TikTok by a user called Goddangolf showed a uprooted fallen tree outside Chui Huay Lim Club in the Newton area.

"Not an ideal month for outdoor activities," the user said. 

@goddangolf Fallen tree in Singapore Chui Huay Lim Club due to Sumatra Squall ? Right after BeetleJuice .Not an ideal month for outdoor activities . Use the ears to hear out for weird noises from ground to avoid accident. #fallen #singapore #sumatrasquall #golf #golfnightmare #goddangolf #disaster #beetlejuice #fail ♬ Red sun in the sky original - Socialist Music

Friday night was also the first day of the Formula One (F1) Singapore Grand Prix 2024, and many of the event goers were caught in the storm. 

A TikTok video by user Sghabibi showed groups of drenched attendees walking along the race track. 

@sghabibi hige rain storm suddenly on the 1st day of f1 #fyp #singapore #f1 ♬ original sound - ❤️ Habibi ❤️

Some were lucky enough to have umbrellas and ponchos on hand but others who didn't had to brave the wet weather. 

There were also some F1 goers seen using large plastic sheets to shield themselves from the rain. 

More thundery showers ahead: NEA

According to a media advisory by NEA on Sept 16, more thundery showers can be expected towards the last week of September due to prevailing Southwest Monsoon condition. 

Sumatra squalls may bring widespread thundery showers and gusty winds during pre-dawn hours and morning on a few days.

More rainfall is also forecasted in the latter half of the fortnight, with thundery showers expected on most afternoons.

NEA added that the total rainfall for the second half of September is forecasted to be above average over most parts of the island.

ALSO READ: More rain expected in second half of 2024, but Singapore's hot weather may not let up

melissateo@asiaone.com