S’pore May Experience Occasional Thundery Showers In 1st Half Of Oct, Hazy Conditions Possible

Oct 2023 1st Half Weather Persists With Southwest Monsoon Conditions

The first half of October will bring… exactly the same weather conditions we’ve had over the past few months.

That is to say, occasional short-duration thundery showers in the day, and widespread heavy showers on one to two days in the afternoon, according to the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS).

Other than that, temperatures are expected to remain high despite there being showers on most days — between 33 degrees Celsius and 34 degrees Celsius.

Singapore may also experience hazy conditions if winds turn southwesterly and forest fires in Sumatra continue to persist.

Despite the heavily humid weather we had in Sep, MSS said most parts of Singapore recorded above-average rainfall for the month.

Current Southwest Monsoon weather conditions to prevail in 1st half of Oct

“The prevailing Southwest Monsoon conditions are likely to persist over Singapore and the surrounding region, and the low-level winds are expected to blow from the southeast or southwest on most days,” MSS noted in a news release.

On a few days, the winds may temporarily weaken to become light and variable in direction.

We can expect localised short-duration thundery showers between the late morning and afternoon over parts of the island on most days.

This is due to the daytime heating of land areas, MSS said.

On one or two days, there could be “widespread moderate to heavy thundery showers” in Singapore in the afternoon.

However, rainfall is expected to be below average over most parts of the island.

MSS said the daily maximum temperatures are expected to range between 33 degrees Celsius and 34 degrees Celsius on most days.

But don’t expect the temperature to dip much — although showers are expected on most days in the coming fortnight, the daily maximum temperature could still reach a high of slightly above 34 degrees Celsius on one or two days. Not the news we wanted to hear.

Hazy conditions possible in Oct

Apart from the short showers and warm temperatures, Singapore may also experience hazy conditions in October.

This will occur if the forest fires in Sumatra continue to persist and prevailing winds turn southwesterly.

Additionally, the MSS noted that dry weather is expected to continue in some parts of the surrounding region.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said that it will continue to closely monitor the situation and provide updates.

The agency will also provide daily haze advisories if the 24-hour PSI is anticipated to enter the Unhealthy range.

Those interested can visit the MSS website for updates on the daily weather forecast and PSI readings.

Heaviest rainfall on 6 Sep

According to MSS, the daily total rainfall of 157.5 mm recorded at Lower Peirce Reservoir on 6 Sep was the highest rainfall recorded for September 2023.

That day saw the heaviest rainfall for the month.

Also on 24 Sep, a Sumatra squall brought moderate to heavy thundery showers in the morning.

“There were also several days where the weather was generally fair and occasionally windy,” MSS said.

Only 24 Sep saw the maximum temperature dip below 32 degrees Celsius, as every other day saw heat and humidity beyond 33 degrees Celsius.

On 19 Sep, Sentosa reached 34.9 degrees Celsius, the highest in the month.

“On several nights, the daily minimum temperatures over the eastern, southern and western coastal areas of the island were above 28 degrees Celsius,” MSS additionally noted.

Despite the soaring temperatures, there was above-average rainfall over Singapore in September 2023, including thundery showers between the late morning and afternoon.

For example, Lower Peirce Reservoir recorded rainfall of 85 per cent above average. Meanwhile, Tengah recorded rainfall of 45 per cent below average.

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Featured image adapted from Choo Yut Shing on Flickr.