Rain Expected To Improve Haze Situation In The Region
The air quality has been deteriorating for the past few weeks, with PSI levels reaching a high of 145 last Wednesday (18 Sep). However, there’s good news for everyone on the little red dot.
According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), you can expect thundery showers in Singapore on Monday (23 Sep) afternoon.
Rain in the region may reduce haze
Having rain over the region is at this point, a godsend.
Rain showers may help to improve the haze and hotspot situation in Sumatra and Kalimantan. However, hotspots are still expected to persist.
Another common theory is that the rain ‘washes down’ the air particles and so makes the haze go away. That’s only partially true.
According to a study, the effect of rain on particles in the air is minimal. Even with heavy rain, the air is ‘cleaned’ by less than 20%. This means any rain is unlikely to do a lot to reduce the haze in Singapore.
Still wear a mask if necessary
While the rain may help reduce the fires in Indonesia and reduce the haze that is blowing over to Singapore, there are still lots of hotspots left. And like we said above, the rain will only do a little to improve our air condition.
Hot spots as of 23 Sep
Source
So its best we keep an eye on the PSI reading and avoid going outdoors if it goes above 100. But the rain will certainly make it cooler, which is always welcomed in our perpetual tropical heat.
Featured image adapted from Danny Santos.
