PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s current hot spell is the result of a complex interplay between seasonal changes, short-term climate variability and long-term global warming, climate experts say.
Climatologist Prof Emeritus Fredolin Tangang from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said the current heat conditions are consistent with long-term climate change trends, noting that rising global temperatures are contributing to more frequent and intense extreme weather events.
He said the recent prolonged heat was due to a combination of several atmospheric factors, including the end of the north-east monsoon, the equinox period and large-scale climate systems such as the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO).
“The hot spell coincided with the end of the north-east monsoon, a period typically characterised by lower rainfall and higher temperatures, as well as the equinox on March 30.
“At the same time, the region was influenced by large-scale atmospheric conditions linked to the MJO, particularly the dominance of high-pressure systems and subsidence.
“This condition made the atmosphere very stable, inhibiting cloud and rainfall formation. Subsidence causes air to descend, which, due to the compression effect, stabilises the atmosphere and suppresses convection.
“Without much cloud cover, the penetration of solar radiation becomes a dominant factor. Without rainfall, the evaporative cooling mechanism was absent, leading to heat build-up and heatwaves,” he said.
Fredolin also said that the interplay between local weather patterns and larger climate systems would continue to influence conditions over the coming days.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department previously reported that hot and dry conditions are likely to persist until at least June.
Universiti Malaya meteorologist Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah said higher temperatures are typically recorded during periods of clear skies due to reduced humidity and soil moisture.
“The higher maximum temperature will occur if we have clear skies. If we have three to four days of clear skies, the last few days of the episode will have a higher-than-usual maximum temperature due to decreased humidity and soil moisture,” he said.
“In April, we will have more rain and more evaporation, leading to a reduction in the conversion of radiation into sensible heat. Increased cloud cover also means reduced radiation reaching the surface. Both factors would lower the maximum temperature,” he said.
Senior lecturer and director of the Disaster Management Institute at Universiti Utara Malaysia Dr Chong Kai Lin said the ongoing conditions are not caused by a single factor, but rather a combination of several atmospheric processes.
She added that the prolonged hot and dry conditions significantly increase the risk of haze, particularly from forest and peatland fires in the region.
“The recent shift from dry heat to hot and humid conditions further illustrates how dynamic and complex these climate processes are.
“Scientific and regional observations, including past haze events in South-East Asia, show that reduced rainfall and higher temperatures dry out vegetation and peat soils, making them more susceptible to ignition and sustained burning,” she said.
