Sunscreen, maybe? Fair and warm conditions expected over CNY period

SINGAPORE — Slap on the sunscreen when visiting friends and relatives during the Chinese New Year period. Merrymakers could encounter fair and warm weather, with temperatures hitting a high of around 34°C, said the weatherman on Friday (Feb 1).

After a relatively windy and dry January, the first half of February is expected to be warm, with light winds, few clouds and the sun heating up land areas here.

The public can expect short localised thundery showers and weaker winds than what was seen in January, the Meteorological Service Singapore (Met Service) said in its weather advisory.

Northeast Monsoon conditions are also likely to persist, with low level winds blowing predominantly from the north or northeast, the Met Service added.

Last month turned out to be the second-warmest January since 1929, clocking a mean of 0.1°C below the record set in January 2016. The highest daily maximum temperature was 34.8°C, recorded at Choa Chu Kang on Jan 12.

January was also the fourth driest January in the last 30 years, recording a total of 63.6mm of rainfall, said the Met Service. Rainfall was significantly below normal.

The highest rainfall of 151.8mm, which was 35 per cent below average, was recorded at MacRitchie while the lowest rainfall of 55.8mm, which was 76 per cent below average, was recorded at Tai Seng.