Environment

Above-average temperatures in S’pore expected to last till May due to El Nino: Experts

El Nino will contribute to above-average temperatures over April & May, say experts

Singapore and the whole of Southeast Asia are feeling the heat with El Niño, a natural phenomenon that causes temperatures to rise.

Experts told The Straits Times (ST) that temperatures in April and May, both among the hottest months of the year, are expected to remain above average.

This is because even though El Niño is receding, heat takes time to transfer from the sea surface to the atmosphere, they said.

El Nino to contribute to higher temperatures over next 2 months, experts say

El Niño has already peaked after it began as one of the “five strongest on record”, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

It noted that El Niño typically has the greatest impact on the global climate in the second year of its development — 2024, in this case.

Professor of urban climatology Matthias Roth at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Department of Geography told ST that an El Niño event will still “contribute heat” after it peaks.

Residual heat from El Niño can contribute to above-average temperatures, coinciding with the warmest months of the year, Prof Roth said.

Rise in humidity with high temperatures can result in higher heat stress

“High humidity in combination with high temperatures could cause heat stress,” added Professor Xie Shang-Ping, who is an expert in physical oceanography at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego.

Heat stress, according to the Ministry of Health, occurs when one’s body cannot cool itself sufficiently, resulting in excess heat and damage.

But heat stress, said a Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) spokesperson, is just one factor that can rise with higher temperatures and humidity. Prof Xie noted that other factors like wind speed and the amount of radiation from the sun come into play too.

 

2024 is set to be an even hotter year than 2023, which is Singapore’s fourth-hottest year on record.

Rise in temperatures not solely due to El Nino, says WMO

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said: “Every month since June 2023 has set a new monthly temperature record – and 2023 was by far the warmest year on record.”

“El Niño has contributed to these record temperatures, but heat-trapping greenhouse gases are unequivocally the main culprit,” she emphasised.

“Ocean surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific clearly reflect El Niño,” Ms Saulo added. “But sea surface temperatures in other parts of the globe have been persistently and unusually high for the past 10 months.

The January 2024 sea-surface temperature was by far the highest on record for January. This is worrying and cannot be explained by El Niño alone.

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image by MS News.

Jonathan Yee

Jonathan is a bedroom headbanger. His Kobo is never far from him.

Recent Posts

Mixue S’pore’s S$1 cone will cost S$1.50 from 25 Nov due to rising cost of raw materials

Mixue will be giving out 1,000 vouchers at each store.

22 Nov 2024, 1:28 am

Man spills Chagee drink inside car while trying to peel perforated section for lucky draw

The bubble tea store covered the car wash fee and gave him a new drink.

21 Nov 2024, 6:23 pm

Man in Korea kills woman who requested breakup after dating for 19 days, gets life imprisonment

The man reportedly stabbed her in the face, neck, and abdomen 58 times.

21 Nov 2024, 6:19 pm

‘0000’ number combination wins 2nd prize in 20 Nov 4D draw

Some netizens felt "nobody" would buy such an unusual combination.

21 Nov 2024, 5:32 pm

‘Tyre slasher’ allegedly deflates tyres in Woodlands carparks, arrested for being public nuisance

The act was seemingly carried out in the name of a climate activist group.

21 Nov 2024, 5:18 pm

Woman in Taiwan gives birth inside toilet, did not know she was pregnant

The baby girl was unresponsive and died in the hospital.

21 Nov 2024, 4:59 pm