Sabah may not face the brunt of drier weather

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah might not experience drought throughout the coming South-West monsoon season which is expected to start this weekend, said the Sabah Meteorological Department.

This is because Sabah will be affected by the tails of the tropical cyclone which passes through the Philippines as it heads towards the South China Sea and its surrounding areas, said Department director Amir Zudi Hashim.

He said that relatively, the start of the South-West monsoon season means drier weather for most parts of Malaysia, except for Sabah.

“The tropical cyclone mentioned normally hits between July and September,” he said.

Amir cautioned the public, especially in the usual flood-prone areas, to be alert in view of the changing and sometimes unpredictable weather patterns recorded in recent years.

He said it is important to keep tabs on current weather forecasts and reports available on various platforms including the Met Malaysia website at https://www.met.gov.my.

Meanwhile, rainfall is expected in parts of Sabah until next week.

Earlier, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Muhammad Helmi Abdullah said the South-West monsoon is expected to begin this Saturday and last until mid-September.

During this period, winds will blow consistently from the south-west, with lower air humidity and stable atmospheric conditions, he said.

He said this will result in a lack of rain cloud formation, causing most places in the country to experience more days without rain or with low rainfall.

Muhammad Helmi said haze could also occur if open burning is not controlled, especially from August to October.