More sweater weather: Another monsoon surge to bring 'prolonged rainfall' from Jan 17 to 19

Singapore is set to experience another weekend of wet weather from Jan 17 to 19 as a second monsoon surge descends, bringing windy and cooler conditions.

Spells of moderate to heavy thundery showers over Singapore and the surrounding vicinity are also expected, said the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on Thursday (Jan 16).

Temperatures are expected to dip to around 22 degrees Celsius in the next few days, coinciding with the monsoon surge, it added. Subsequently, temperatures are forecast to range between 24 and 34 degrees Celsius, said MSS. 

Periods of intense rain during seasonal high tides can often result in flash floods. Low-lying coastal areas, such as East Coast Park could experience more flash floods during the upcoming monsoon surge as tides are expected to be higher.

PUB added that high tides of up to 3.2m are also expected over this period, which could result in high water levels in coastal canals.

Tides reached a high of 2.9m during the monsoon surge last weekend, reported The Straits Times. 

In a Facebook post addressing the "prolonged rainfall" this coming weekend, Singapore's national water agency PUB said that it will monitor the forecast closely and issue flood warnings as needed.

"Our quick response teams will be on standby to be deployed to flood-risk locations to manage any flooding incidents and support the communities affected," it said.

The agency advised members of the public to stay up to date on the situation via the myENV app, PUB's Flood Alerts Telegram Channel and go.gov.sg/flood-safety-tips.

In preparation for the monsoon season, PUB said on Wednesday that it distributed protection devices and barriers to flood-prone residences and businesses. 

Record-breaking rainfall in January

During the monsoon surge from Jan 10 to 13, temperatures dropped to 21.6 degrees Celsius in Newton. There were also strong wind gusts and record-breaking rainfall for the month of January. 

This resulted in flash floods, fallen trees and potholes. Some flights were also delayed and diverted to neighbouring airfields.

On Jan 10, the daily total rainfall of 241.8mm on Pulau Tekong was more than double the average amount of rain that fell that day across Singapore's 32 weather stations and surpassed the previous high of 238.2mm recorded on Jan 30, 2011, in Pulau Ubin, said MSS.

Jalan Seaview in Mountbatten was affected by flash floods on Jan 10 evening as high rainfall coincided with a high tide of 2.8m. This temporarily overwhelmed an adjacent canal and surrounding roadside drains.

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com