SINGAPORE – Do you think it has been hot since the start of March 2016? Well, it’s going to get hotter.
The next fortnight is expected to be drier and warmer than that experienced in the first fortnight of this month, said a media advisory by the National Environment Agency (NEA).
During this period, the daily maximum temperatures are expected to range between 33°C and 34°C, and could reach a high of around 36°C on a few days.
The mean monthly temperature for March 2016 is likely to be comparable to that for the warmest March on record – 29.5°C in 1998.
The warmer conditions are due the continuing influence of the El Nino and the presence of a dry and warm air mass over the region. The occurrence of the equinox is another contributing factor to the warm temperatures during this time of the year.
An equinox occurs twice a year around Mar 20 and Sep 22. During an equinox, with the sun directly overhead around noon, sunlight reaching the earth’s surface is most intense and contributes to higher daytime temperatures.
Despite the drier conditions, short-duration thundery showers in the afternoon on four to six days can still be expected over parts of Singapore, due to strong solar heating of land areas and convergence of winds in the surrounding vicinity.
The rainfall for March is expected to be significantly below-normal.
In the first week of March, Singapore experienced occasionally windy conditions with short-duration thundery showers in the afternoon on some days.
Dry and warm conditions were experienced in the second week of the month where the daily maximum temperature recorded was between 34.5°C and 35.0°C.
Almost all areas of Singapore received below average rainfall in the first half of March.
Rainfall was lowest over the eastern part of the island around Pasir Ris, where 4mm (95 per cent below average) was recorded. The highest rainfall of 119mm (15 per cent above average) was recorded over the southwest-central part of Singapore around Queenstown.
spanaech@sph.com.sg
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