Heavy rain expected in all the other states, says Met Dept

PETALING JAYA: Perlis is the only state in the country that can look forward to sunshine for the Chinese New Year holidays while heavy rain is expected in other states.

According to the Meteorological Department, residents in Perlis can expect rainfall today and tomorrow.

But it is expected to stay dry for the first three days of the Lunar New Year. The Chinese New Year celebrations begin on Saturday.

A dry day is also expected on Monday, the third day of the Chinese New Year in Penang. Showers are expected in the afternoon in parts of the island.

The department said most parts of Sabah and Sarawak are likely to be rainy over the Chinese New Year weekend, with thunderstorms in the afternoons and showers in the evenings.

The wet spell is also likely to continue in coastal areas of Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang.

Critically high: Heavy rain over the last two days caused the water level at Sungai Segamat to rise to a dangerous level.

Strong monsoon rains that have hit Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor are likely to ease by the weekend.

However, thunderstorms are expected in parts of these three states over the next four days.

In Kedah, showers are expected in some areas in the afternoons and evenings for the same period, while thunderstorms in the afternoon are expected in Perak, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

In Pahang, intermittent rain over the past 24 hours has caused many rivers to swell.

Residents near the low-lying Sungai Lembing are on alert after the water level rose between 0.6m and 0.9m.

In Jerantut, about 40 to 50 foreign tourists were left stranded in Kuala Tahan following heavy rains on Tuesday.

Some of them left due to the bad weather. However, others were stranded after the route from Kuala Tahan to Jerantut town was cut off.

“The tourists can still travel back to Jerantut by boat. But we advised them not to do so because the river current is very strong. Floating deadwood, rubbish and logs can also pose danger to the travelling boats,” said Pahang Fire and Rescue Department Zone 2 chief Shahrin Yusmar Mat Yusof after meeting the tourists in Taman Negara here yesterday.

Swamped: One of the badly affected houses at Kampung Gemereh in Segamat, Johor. 

They are mainly from Germany, France and Holland.

The high-tide phenomenon is also expected in Kuantan, Pekan and Rompin and the people are advised against going out to sea.

Pahang Crisis Relief Squad Malaysia of MCA chief Datuk Chang Hong Seong said 150 personnel were ready to be deployed.

“Our focus will be on Sungai Lembing and Temerloh,” he said.