Flash flood in Bukit Timah Road amid downpour; heaviest rainfall in north-western Singapore

SINGAPORE – Heavy rains resulted in a flash flood in Bukit Timah Road on the afternoon of Nov 16, amid a downpour in several parts of Singapore.

National water agency PUB said in a Facebook post that the flash flood was caused by high water levels in the adjacent drains and Bukit Timah Canal.

It said: “PUB deployed our Quick Response Team to direct traffic away from floodwaters. The flash flood subsided at 3.30pm.”

It added that there are ongoing works to widen and deepen a 900m stretch of Bukit Timah Canal - from Rifle Range Road to Jalan Kampong Chantek - as a long-term measure to enhance flood protection in the area.

The works are expected to be completed by 2026.

PUB earlier issued flash flood warnings for 10 places, urging people to avoid these areas amid heavy downpour. It added that heavy rain was expected over northern, western and central areas of Singapore from 2.50pm to 3.50pm.

The list of places at risk of flash floods were:

• Tampines Expressway (Punggol West Flyover)
• Junction of Neo Pee Teck Lane and Pasir Panjang Road
• Jalan Boon Lay (Enterprise Road to International Road)
• Bukit Timah Road (Wilby Road to Blackmore Drive)
• Junction of Sunset Drive and Sunset Way
• Junction of Sunset Drive and Sunset Terrace
• Junction of Lor Kismis and Toh Tuck Rise
• Eng Kong Place (Greenridge Crescent to Eng Kong Garden)
• Kranji Expressway Slip Road (Kranji Expressway to Woodlands Road, towards Senja Way)
• Dunearn Road (Yarwood Avenue to Binjai Park)

In its Facebook post, PUB said the heaviest rainfall on Nov 16 - 108.4mm - was recorded in north-western Singapore from 2.10pm to 4pm.

“This amount corresponds to 43 per cent of Singapore’s average monthly rainfall in November and lies within the top 3 per cent of maximum daily rainfall records since 1978,” it said.

In its fortnightly forecast on Nov 15, the Meteorological Service Singapore said moderate to heavy thundery showers can be expected in many parts of the island on most days in the second half of November as north-east monsoon conditions set in.

Rain is likely to start in the afternoon and extend into the night on a few days, with total rainfall expected to be above average in most parts of the island.

On some rainy days, the temperature could dip to 23 deg C, the weatherman added.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.