SINGAPORE: It almost felt like winter in Singapore as the mercury fell on Thursday (Feb 19) following days of incessant rain.
Areas like Clementi, Newton and Jurong Island experienced temperatures as low as 21 deg C at around 9pm, according to data on the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) website. Places like Jurong West and Sentosa Island also saw temperatures falling to almost 21 deg C.
Netizens took to social media to share photos and videos of the uncommon weather conditions.
Facebook user Karan Vir posted a photo showing the top of Marina Bay Sands Singapore’s iconic towers obscured by dark clouds.
“Thought I saw three chimneys and smoke,” quipped another user in the comments.
User Boon Tong Teo posted a video of the gloomy condition in Tanjong Pagar, where buildings were barely visible through the rain and fog. The Facebook user likened it to Genting Highlands, a popular tourist spot in in Malaysia known for its chilly weather.
Elsewhere in Singapore, user Emily Leong posted a photo of a fog-covered skyline that illustrates the “low visibility” due to the incessant rain.
According to the Met Service, low clouds called stratus can often be seen in Singapore during periods of prolonged rain in the north-east monsoon season, which typically runs from December to March.
Rain fell across Singapore throughout the afternoon and into the evening on Feb 19. MSS stations around the central region of the island recorded rainfall from 2pm to 8pm.
Areas like Kent Ridge and Buona Vista saw more than 135mm of rain over the day, higher than the highest daily rainfall recorded in the first fortnight of February, which was 108.6 mm around the Jurong Pier area.
On Feb 19, national water agency PUB also issued warnings for the risk of flash floods in the Jurong, Pioneer and Bukit Timah areas.
In its weather advisory for the second half of February, MSS said on Feb 16 that showers were expected over most parts of the island in the afternoons and evenings of the first few days of this period.
Relatively drier weather is expected to follow, though brief localised thundery showers may still occur on several afternoons, it added.
According to MSS’ website, the lowest daily temperature recorded at the climate station was 19.4 deg C in January 1934. The station at Paya Lebar recorded a chilly 19 deg C on Feb 14, 1989.
The Straits Times has contacted NEA for more information. - The Straits Times/ANN
