It'll be a rainy start to August, says the weatherman

SINGAPORE — Keep your brollies handy in the first two weeks of August as more rainfall is expected to hit Singapore and the surrounding region compared to the last fortnight of July.

Short-duration thundery showers are expected on five to seven days in the first two weeks of August, with most of the showers occurring between the late morning and early afternoon, the weatherman said in an advisory on Wednesday (Aug 1).

The showers may extend into the late afternoon, added the Meteorological Service Singapore.

On two or three days, Sumatra squalls — characterised by widespread moderate to heavy thundery showers accompanied by gusty winds — may hit Singapore between the predawn hours and early morning. These Sumatra squalls were observed on several days in July.

While rainfall was below normal levels for July, rainfall for the first fortnight of August is likely to be near average.

The mercury is expected to range between 24°C and 33°C on most days, with highs of 34°C on days with little or no rain.

The highest daily rainfall in July happened on July 7 in the northeastern part of the island, while the highest daily maximum temperature of 34.4°C recorded on July 12.

Singapore is currently experiencing the Southwest Monsoon, with winds expected to continue blowing mostly from the southeast or southwest, and from the west on brief occasions.