PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a warning of thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds across eight states as well as Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, effective until 5pm on Saturday (July 18).
In the northern and central regions of the peninsula, the affected areas include Kampar, Batang Padang and Muallim in Perak, alongside Hulu Selangor, Gombak, Petaling, Kuala Langat, Hulu Langat and Sepang in Selangor. The weather warning also covers both Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
Over on the east coast, severe weather is forecast for a large portion of Pahang, affecting Tanah Tinggi Cameron, Lipis, Jerantut, Temerloh, Maran, Kuantan, Pekan and Rompin.
In the southern region, the alert encompasses several areas in Negeri Sembilan (Seremban, Port Dickson, Kuala Pilah, Rembau and Tampin), Melaka (Alor Gajah and Jasin), and almost the entirety of Johor (Segamat, Batu Pahat, Kluang, Mersing, Pontian, Kulai, Kota Tinggi and Johor Baru).
Across East Malaysia, the warning spans multiple divisions in Sarawak, including Betong (Saratok), Sarikei, Sibu, Mukah (Matu, Dalat and Mukah), Kapit (Song, Kapit and Bukit Mabong), Bintulu (Tatau and Sebauh), Miri (Miri) and Limbang (Lawas).
For Sabah, affected locations include Pedalaman (Sipitang, Tenom, Beaufort, Keningau and Tambunan), the Pantai Barat region, Sandakan (Beluran) and Kudat (Kota Marudu and Pitas).
MetMalaysia issues these warnings when there are signs indicating a thunderstorm with a rainfall intensity exceeding 20mm per hour that is imminent or expected to occur for more than one hour.
A thunderstorm warning is a short-term warning that is valid for a period not exceeding six hours for any single release.
The notice was officially issued by the department at 2.45pm on Saturday.
