Flash floods and traffic chaos after Klang Valley thunderstorm

Strong winds and heavy downpours were reported Friday near the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah airport in Subang.

PETALING JAYA: An afternoon thunderstorm wreaked havoc in several areas in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, causing flash floods that led to traffic mayhem in the Klang Valley.

Strong winds and heavy downpours were reported Friday near the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang with floodwaters reaching thigh-high.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director Mohd Sani Harul said the flash floods occurred between 4pm and 5pm.

“It resulted in traffic to slow to a crawl for several hours, especially near the exit to the New Klang Valley Expressway," he said.

Several motorists took to Twitter to vent their frustrations over the traffic mayhem.

A user with the tweet handle @adrianashrmaine tweeted: “Subang airport to Glenmarie takes two hours.”

Another user, identified as Khairun Nisa Ismail with the tweet handle @putrikulon, said: “Shah Alam to Subang to Sungai Buloh. It took two hours. Omg terok giler traffic (God, the traffic was horrible).”

Mohd Sani added that the motorcycle lane along the Federal Highway near Subang Jaya was flooded between 4.30pm and 5.30pm.

“The floodwater was about a metre high. Water from Sungai Damansara also overflowed there,” he said.

Meanwhile, stagnant water and poor drainage in Jalan Cheras heading towards Kuala Lumpur caused a flash floods at 6.10pm.

A KL Fire and Rescue Department spokesman also cited construction of the mass rapid transit (MRT) as a contributing factor.