PETALING JAYA: If you are planning to be outdoors on the first two days of Chinese New Year in the early part of the day, you may want to think again about bringing out that brolly.
Except for Perak, Selangor and Negri Sembilan where isolated thunderstorms are forecast in the afternoon, MetMalaysia says it will be largely clear skies in other parts of the peninsula.
For those in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan, you will have to keep your rain gear close with scattered thunderstorms and rain forecast throughout the day.
“Other parts of the country are not expected to experience rain,” MetMalaysia said in a notice uploaded on its website.
In another advisory, the department also forecast that the country will experience a monsoon surge expected to last until Thursday.
“This has the potential to cause heavy and continuous rains in Sabah and Sarawak,” it said, adding that a continuous rain alert has already been issued for the territories.
Malaysia is currently in the tail-end of the northeast monsoon, which began last November.
It is expected to last until March this year, before the country transitions into the inter-monsoon period.
The northeast monsoon wreaked havoc in November with continuous rains resulting in devastating floods, leaving thousands displaced.
MetMalaysia also said there was a 59% chance for La Nina phenomenon to form this month before returning to neutral conditions between March and May.
According to the department’s weather outlook up to June, several heavy rain episodes have been forecast for Pahang, Johor, Sarawak and Sabah up to February.
It also said states in the north of the peninsula could experience hot and dry weather in the coming months, with the potential of heatwaves occurring.
“However, the possible onset of La Nina could reduce the impact of heatwaves,” it said.
