While February saw more than double the average amount of rain in many cities including the capital city Delhi, weather in some parts of the world turned completely dry. This happened in Singapore where the month of February set a record for being the driest month since 1869. Other than being the driest, it was also the windiest year the country saw in the last 30 years.
A survey of total number of rainfall across 64 weather stations in Singapore, showed that more than a few weather stations in eastern and southern Singapore recorded only up to 10 mm of rain. This was 45% to 100% below the normal average of 161.0 mm in the month of February.
Further, reports from the National Environment Agency (NEA) confirmed that the total rainfall recorded at the Changi climate station in February 2014 was a mere 0.2mm, breaking the previous record of 6.3 mm in February 2010.
Rain on Monday, 4th March was sporadic and did not bring any changes in the extremely dry weather in Singapore. The last time Singapore saw any significant rainfall was on 16th and 17th February. Rainfall on 17th was also the highest the country received. This was 19.2mm at Lim Chu Kang Road.
This prolonged period of dry weather in Singapore has set a new record for the lowest average humidity of 74.5%, lower than that of 76.9% in February 1968.
Experts claim extreme dry weather in Singapore in several years could also have been a likely cause of bush fires in Punggol and Jurong East.
Forecasts by weather bodies in Singapore suggest, the onset of the Inter-Monsoon (Pre- Monsoon) in the second half of March 2014 with increased rainfall in the latter part of the month.
“Weather in Singapore being dry in February is common, but it being so dry is obviously unheard off. Just like how pre-monsoon rain showers have also changed the weather in India, rain in the offing in Singapore could also bring some relief from a period of high humidity and heat, Meanwhile," says G.P Sharma of Skymet’s Meteorological Division.
With dry weather expected to continue for a couple of more days to come, the national water agency, PUB, has started public campaigns to urge everyone to conserve water.
Photo by bugbog.
