Singapore showers relieve the drought

It has been a welcome wet weekend in Singapore with heavy showers ending a 27-day dry spell. The rain will certainly provide relief to the parched landscape following the record drought here.

February was Singapore’s driest month since 1869 according to the National Environment Agency (NEA). The last measurable rainfall of more than 1mm here was on 12 January when the city reported 18mm.

During the month, there were only seven days with any rainfall at all, with some areas receiving as little as 0.2mm of rain. Air quality has also improved with levels edging back up into the moderate or good category.

The rain began on Saturday morning and was heaviest in the east and south of the island. The NEA confirmed that these are the areas that received the least rainfall during the dry spell.

All except one of Singapore’s 64 reporting stations recorded at least 1mm or more of rainfall. The heaviest rain was at Changi with 53mm of rain in 24 hours. Nineteen other stations recorded totals between 31 and 52mm during the same period.

Drought has hit the wider region too. Southern Thailand has struggled with a water shortage and officials in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital started rationing water in February. There have also been forest fires in Indonesia’s Riau province.

Thundery showers are expected to continue over the next few days. Indeed the northeast monsoon is once again heading back to the region as the sun continues its passage north, so we should fine the rains becoming a little more reliable over the next few weeks.