SINGAPORE: Singapore experienced its hottest October day on Oct 9, the Meteorological Service Singapore said on Wednesday (Nov 1).
Temperatures exceeded 35 degrees in several parts of the country that day, with the thermostat hitting 36.3 degrees Celsius at Admiralty, said the Met Service.
This was the highest temperature ever recorded in Singapore in the month of October, surpassing the previous record high of 35.7 degrees Celsius recorded on Oct 14, 2001 and Oct 13, 2019.
The Met Service added that October was “generally warm”, with daily maximum temperatures above 34 degrees Celsius on 25 days.
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Below-average rainfall was also recorded across Singapore in October, with the highest anomaly of 72 per cent below average recorded at Yio Chu Kang, said the Met Service.
More showers were recorded in the second half of the month as the rain band shifted closer to the equatorial region.
Short-duration thundery showers fell over parts of Singapore in the afternoon on most days, which extended into the evening on a few of the days.
On Oct 23, widespread moderate to heavy thundery showers occurred over many parts of Singapore in the afternoon. The daily total rainfall of 88.4mm recorded at Jurong West that day was the highest rainfall recorded for the month.
Following the haze episode that affected Singapore on Oct 7 and Oct 8, the haze situation gradually improved with increased showers over Singapore and the surrounding region later in the month.
Singapore’s air quality fell into the unhealthy range for the first time since 2019 on Oct 7 due to haze caused by forest fires in Indonesia.
THUNDERY SHOWERS EXPECTED ON MOST DAYS
Afternoon thundery showers are expected on most days in the first half of November, with showers extending into the evening on a few days, said the Met Service.
“November is climatologically one of the wettest months for Singapore. While showers are expected on most days, we expect below-average rainfall in the first fortnight of November,” it added.
Inter-monsoon conditions are also expected to set in during the first week of November. The period is characterised by light and variable winds, as well as thunderstorms which may at times be heavy.
“Lightning activity tends to be higher during the inter-monsoon months than other months of the year.”
The daily maximum temperature for the first two weeks of November is expected to range between 33 and 35 degrees Celsius on most days.