Get prepared for a wet, wet season

PETALING JAYA: The wet and rainy season is here. According to the Malaysian Meteorological Depart­ment, many areas in the peninsula will be hit by scattered rain from now until next month.

An average monthly rainfall of between 100mm and 250mm is expected and may see further increase in September.

In Sarawak, the department is predicting “higher than normal” rainfall of between 200mm and 250mm for this month, especially in Kuching, Samarahan, Sri Aman and Sibu. Other areas in the state will experience normal average rainfall.

The department said that many parts of Sabah would receive normal rainfall during the same period.

Currently, Malaysia is experiencing the south-west monsoon which is expected to last until mid-September. La Nina’s effects are likely to be felt around September, with an active hurricane expected in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, and these might affect many parts of Sabah.

The La Nina phenomenon is coming at the tail end of the strongest El Nino in 20 years, which brought scorching heat and dry days earlier in the year.

The latest data from a United States climate agency showed that there was a 75% chance of La Nina occurring between October and December.

The National Disaster Manage­ment Agency has been tasked to coordinate disaster preparedness and flood mitigation plans for La Nina.