‘Hazy skies will not last long’

PETALING JAYA: The hazy weather is expected to be temporary, says the Meteorological Department.

Meteorological officer Ambun Dindang said the current inter-monsoon season that the country was experiencing would help reduce the haze.

“We are experiencing the inter-monsoon season, which is expected to last until mid-November, with frequent thunderstorms and heavy rain mainly during the afternoon and evening over the west coast states of the peninsula, western Sabah and interior Sarawak.

“This can reduce the hazy condition in the country,” he said in an email to The Star.

Despite the inter-monsoon season, the country is also experiencing dry weather conditions over most parts of the country except for Sabah and Sarawak.

However, the dry weather was also expected to be temporary, said Ambun.

“This situation is partly due to Typhoon Vongfong currently forming over northeastern Philippines and moving towards southern Japan.

“Lack of moisture in the atmosphere contributed to less rainfall in the country, especially peninsular Malaysia,” he said.

The inter-monsoon season will be followed by the northeast monsoon season from mid-November until early March next year.

“During the northeast monsoon period, wetter weather conditions are expected throughout the country with five to six heavy rainfall episodes,” Ambun added.

Meanwhile, Singapore’s The Straits Times reported that Indonesia was expecting a delay in the start of the rainy season and this could cause hazy weather in Singapore and Malaysia to last until at least the middle of the month depending on wind conditions.

A weather forecaster in Pekanbaru was quoted as saying that the rainy season, originally expected in early October in Riau province, will now start in the middle of the month at the earliest due to the El Nino phenomenon.

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