North-East Monsoon: MetMalaysia advises public to be wary of weather changes

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has advised the public to always be wary of weather changes as it forecasts four to six incidents of heavy rainfall from next month until February 2024 that have the potential to cause floods.

MetMalaysia’s National Weather and Geophysics Operation Centre director Dr Fariza Yunus said the weather changes will occur due to the North-East Monsoon (MTL), which will begin from the middle of next month until March 2024.

During that period, she said heavy rain is expected in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang from November to December and in Johor and Sarawak from December to January 2024.

"Continuous heavy rain can cause floods in low-lying and flood-prone areas.

"The risk of flooding also increases if heavy rain occurs simultaneously with high tides and storm surges,” she said as a guest on Bernama TV’s "Malaysia Petang Ini" programme to discuss the topic of "Jangkaan Corak Berisiko Bencana (Expected Patterns of Disaster Risks)" on Monday (Oct 23).

As such, she advised the public to always be on the lookout for weather warnings issued by MetMalaysia so that they can make the necessary preparations, including keeping all important documents in high places as well as moving to safer places when instructed by the authorities.

"As in previous years, announcements on the MTL will be issued at least three days before it starts.

"We have various mediums (platforms) for such information, including on the MetMalaysia website and television, in addition to announcing it through the radio to ensure those with no internet access will also get the latest information,” she said. - Bernama