MetMalaysia: Heavy rain expected to hit east coast until Sunday

PETALING JAYA: Continuous heavy rain brought by the northeast monsoon will hit the east coast of the peninsula from today, according to a forecast.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a yellow alert weather warning for Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and east Johor.

“Continuous heavy rain is expected to occur over the states,” read the alert, adding it would go on until Sunday.

The northeast monsoon, which started on Nov 13, is expected to last until March.

It typically brings heavy rain, which causes floods in the east coast states and east Sarawak.

MetMalaysia is expecting between four and five episodes of continuous heavy rain during the monsoon.

A yellow alert means heavy rain is expected within the next one to three days. And if there is continuous rain, it will not last for more than six hours and the rainfall will be less than 60mm.

An orange alert indicates continuous heavy rain that will exceed six hours and rainfall collection of at least 60mm. A red alert signifies continuous heavy rain exceeding 240mm a day.

On Tuesday, MetMalaysia issued a First Category warning of strong winds and rough sea conditions, both of which are dangerous to small boats.

It said that northeastern winds of between 40kph and 50kph, along with waves as high as 3.5m, were expected in the sea off Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, east Johor, Sarawak, Labuan and parts of Sabah from today until Monday.

“The strong winds and rough sea conditions are dangerous to small boats, sea sports and recreational activities,” MetMalaysia said.