Met Dept: Too early to predict if Sabah will be hit by typhoon

KOTA KINABALU: It is too early to predict if Sabah will be hit by a typhoon, said the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

"The movement and intensity of any tropical cyclone is difficult to forecast three or more days ahead due to the vagaries of atmospheric conditions," said Department director-general Alui Bahari, adding that they were keeping a close watch on the weather situation nationwide.

He said this in response to claims on social media and messaging apps that Sabah would be hit by a typhoon the weekend before Christmas, as well as another saying that the west coast of peninsular Malaysia would be hit by tropical storm Kai Tak.

Alui said a low-pressure system over the western Pacific Ocean that was said to hit Sabah between Dec 22 and 24 had not evolved into a typhoon.

"As such, its trajectory cannot be determined yet," he said, adding that the Department was constantly updating details of tropical cyclones near the country on its website (www.met.gov.my) or its smartphone app myCuaca. 

Alui said the current weather warning was for heavy downpours over northern and western Sabah as well as northern Sarawak until Dec 20. 

"This warning will be updated from time to time depending on the movement and intensity of tropical storm Kai Tak," he said.

The west coast of Sabah has been experiencing heavy rains over the past five days, resulting in flash floods in Kota Belud, Penampang and Keningau.