KUALA LUMPUR: Northern Peninsular Malaysia has seen hot, dry and windy conditions, known locally as "musim timur (east season)", as a normal weather pattern during the Northeast Monsoon season, says an expert.
Universiti Malaya (UM) meteorologist Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah said the Northeast Monsoon was driven by cold surges, strong northeasterly or easterly winds and a low-pressure zone known as the monsoon trough.
The professor from UM’s Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences (IOES) said that between January and February, the monsoon trough shifted southwards with the sun’s movement, compared with its position over northern Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand at the onset of the Northeast Monsoon from November to December, when heavy rainfall was more widespread.
He said these hot and dry conditions were normal for northern Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand as the monsoon trough had shifted to the southern South China Sea.
He said the northern states were now outside the convergence zone and had entered the "east season" or dry spell, with clear skies and dry, windy conditions. He said rainfall was expected to pick up from April.
He said the south, including Johor, Sabah and Sarawak, was seeing more rain as the monsoon trough shifted.
He said the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), which usually supported thunderstorms and wet conditions in the north, was in a dry phase.
He said the MJO was a natural tropical climate pattern that swung every 20 to 60 days and typically occurred in the absence of El Niño or La Niña events. He said the situation was still considered normal and was not expected to significantly affect daily activities, including water supply.
He said the situation was not critical as heavy rainfall in November and December had kept all dams full, which should sustain supplies until April.
He said it was hot weather but temperatures had not reached 40°C, averaging around 34°C to 35°C.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Jan 27), said six Peninsular locations had recorded more than seven consecutive rain-free days, including Perlis (30 days), Langkawi (27 days), Kedah (27 days) and central Melaka (23 days).
It said the Southwest district in Penang recorded 23 rain-free days, followed by Kuala Langat, Selangor (23 days) and Kota Setar, Kedah (20 days).
MetMalaysia’s Long-Term Weather Survey for January to June 2026 predicted wet conditions in northern Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah early in the period, with rainfall expected to decline from mid to late period, especially in central and southern Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak. – Bernama
