PETALING JAYA: It’s going to be a chilly Chinese New Year with the cold north-easterly wind forecast to continue for the next few weeks.
Many parts of the east coast and northern and central regions are experiencing cold weather because of the wind, according to the Meteorological Department.
It said that cities and towns like Subang Jaya, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Kota Baru, Kuantan and Petaling Jaya are experiencing temperatures of below 25°C similar to conditions in Cameron Highlands and Genting Highlands.
Yesterday, Kuala Krai recorded a temperature of 17.2°C – the lowest for a lowland area.
From Jan 1 to 2, the lowest recorded temperatures were 21°C for Kuantan, 22.1°C for Kota Kinabalu, 23.6°C for Petaling Jaya, 23°C for Kota Baru and 22°C for Kuching. Alor Setar and Chuping in Perlis experienced temperatures of 22.4°C and 23.3 °C, respectively.
Meteorological Department deputy director Alui Bahari dismissed speculation that the drop in temperatures was due to the lack of activity in the sun, or what is called the “sleeping sun” phenomenon.
“Based on our records, January is always the coldest month,” he said.
According to Alui, the dip in temperatures is due to the cold north-easterly winds, and this is not the first time that such a drop has occurred.
He added: “Temperatures fluctuate from time to time. Such low recordings are usual and have happened many times during the season.
“The north-easterly wind which is pretty strong comes from mainland China, which is experiencing cold weather right now.
“Also, good weather and non-cloudy conditions in Malaysia this week helped reduce the temperatures in the early morning and night.
“Atmosphere without clouds is similar to a situation where there is no blanket to keep us warm. The blanket is the cloud and our body is earth.”
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