Afternoon thundery showers expected for rest of March as monsoon conditions persist: Met Service

SINGAPORE — Rainy weather is set to continue until the end of March, according to Meteorological Service Singapore's weather forecast on Thursday (March 16).

The monsoon conditions that made for a rainy February and first half of March are set to persist.

"Short-duration moderate to heavy thundery showers" can be expected over parts of the island on most afternoons, occasionally extending into the evening, said the Met Service.

These showers are likely to be induced by strong daytime heating of land areas and localised convergence of winds.

Near average rainfall is predicted for the second half of March, and the total rainfall for the month is forecast to be above average over most parts of the island.

During this time, the daily temperature is expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 33 degrees Celsius on most days. Temperatures may reach around 34 degrees Celsius on days when the winds are light and there is less cloud cover.

FIRST HALF OF MARCH

The first week of March was "generally wet", due to the prevailing northeast monsoon, said the Met Service.

"On Mar 3 to Mar 4, another monsoon surge brought widespread moderate to heavy rain over Singapore and the surrounding region."

The second week of the month was "relatively dry" compared to the week before, with isolated showers falling on parts of the island on a few afternoons.

On Mar 1, the daily total rainfall of 104.4mm recorded at Sengkang was the highest recorded in the first half of the month.

The Met Service noted that the monsoon made for cool weather in Singapore for the first week of March.

The highest daily maximum temperature dipped below 28 degrees Celsius on three days. On Mar 3 and Mar 4, the highest daily maximum temperature was 26.1 degrees Celsius at East Coast Parkway.

The mercury at Newton dipped to 21.1 degrees Celsius during the monsoon surge on Mar 1, marking the lowest daily minimum temperature for the first fortnight of the month.

The Met Service also reported "well above average rainfall" across the island.

The highest anomaly of 211 per cent above average was recorded at Sengkang. The anomaly was lowest around Tengah at 12 per cent above average.