SINGAPORE: The weatherman issued a heavy rain warning on Thursday morning (March 20) as persistent rain continued across the island overnight.
At around 8.30am, the Meteorological Service Singapore said on its website that “heavy thundery showers are expected over many areas of Singapore between 8.45am and 10.15am”.
This comes after national water agency PUB issued a warning about the potential for flash floods.
At around 7.40am, PUB issued the flash flood risk alert for PIE (towards Changi Airport) after TPE.
“Due to heavy rain, please avoid this location for the next 1 hour,” it said in a post on X.
This marks the second consecutive day that PUB has issued a flash flood risk alert, following the one for Mountbatten Road/Jalan Seaview.
The incessant rain was the result of a monsoon surge that started on the morning of March 19 and lowered temperatures to 23.6 deg C at around noon.
NEA warned about a monsoon surge from March 19 to 21, which may bring temperatures down to as low as 22 deg C amid periods of moderate to heavy showers over Singapore.
As of 6.57am on March 20, the mercury dipped to 22.2 deg C in Newton. Singapore’s lowest temperature in 2025 so far has been 21.6 deg C, recorded on Jan 11 in Newton.
The monsoon surge, known for causing widespread and prolonged rain, is unusual since monsoon surges typically occur earlier in the north-east monsoon season, between December and January.
Singapore is currently in the late phase of the monsoon season, which usually lasts until around March.
A monsoon surge occurs when bursts of cold air from the north-east, originating in regions like Central Asia, move over the South China Sea, bringing extensive rainfall, strong winds, and cooler temperatures to Singapore. On average, the Republic experiences two to four monsoon surges annually. - The Straits Times/ANN
