Warm Weather With Thundery Showers Will Commonly Occur In The Afternoon
While many days in Mar were scorching hot, Singapore also experienced thundery showers on most days.
This lethal combination of warm and wet weather is now expected to continue in Apr.
The 1st half of the month will see warm weather with thundery showers commonly occur in the afternoon.
Thundery showers in afternoon & evening
In a weather advisory on Friday (1 Apr), the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said to expect short-duration thundery showers in the afternoon and evening on most days.
This is due to strong heating of land areas by the sun.
On some of these days, the thundery showers can turn intense as prevailing winds converge around Singapore.
The increased number of showers will be due to the monsoon rain band, which will lie close to the equatorial region, the MSS said.
Showers in the morning too
Widespread thundery showers may occur in the morning too, on a few days.
They’ll be accompanied by gusty winds, as the prevailing winds shift to blow from the west instead.
This is caused by the eastward passage of Sumatra squalls from Sumatra or the Strait of Malacca.
MSS predicted that the rainfall for Apr over most parts of Singapore will be near average.
Temperature could hit high of 35°C
Despite the rain, though, Singaporeans shouldn’t expect sweater weather.
Quite the opposite, in fact, as warm conditions are expected in the next 2 weeks, MSS said.
They pointed out that Apr is one of the warmest months of the year – so we’ll still be subjected to the usual daily temperature range of 24-34°C on most days.
The daily maximum temperature could even hit a high of 35°C, if there are fewer clouds in the sky.
Inter-monsoon conditions
The combination of warm weather and afternoon thundery showers characterise inter-monsoon conditions, said the MSS.
The inter-monsoon period usually comes with prevailing winds that are light and variable in direction.
That’s why the warm weather and moderate to heavy thundery showers will commonly occur in the afternoon.
Those who’re scared of lightning should also be warned – MSS noted that Apr usually has a high incidence of lightning activity.
Above-average rainfall in Mar
In Mar, many parts of Singapore recorded above-average rainfall.
One of the wettest areas was Yio Chu Kang, where the rainfall was 109% above average.
On 7 Mar, afternoon thundery showers caused the day to become the second-wettest in Mar in the past 10 years.
On 23 Mar, the highest daily rainfall in the past 10 years was recorded at Jurong West.
36.2°C recorded in AMK in Mar
However, MSS still described Mar as “a warm month”.
This was due to strong solar heating of land areas coupled with light wind conditions.
On seven days in Mar, the temperature rose to 35°C or more.
On 19 Mar, the highest daily maximum temperature was recorded at Ang Mo Kio – a sweltering 36.2°C.
Prepare for wet & warm weather
The wet but warm weather expected in the next 2 weeks may cause some inconvenience.
While we’ll be tempted to dress lightly for the heat, an umbrella is also needed for the likely downpours.
At least now that wearing a mask outdoors is optional, we can choose to take it off in an attempt to cool down for a bit.
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Featured image adapted from knowenoughhappy on Flickr.
