SINGAPORE — More thundery showers in the afternoon can be expected in the first two weeks of February, compared to the last two weeks of January, with most parts of the island set for above-average rainfall over this period.

The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said in a weather update on Monday (Jan 31) that the afternoon showers may extend into the evening on a few days.

The showers are predicted to arrive after the first few days of next month feature "generally fair and warm weather" over most parts of Singapore, brought about by a mass of dry air over the equatorial Southeast Asia region.

Thereafter, the monsoon rain band is expected to migrate closer to the equator, contributing to the thundery showers in the first half of February, the weather agency said.

Prevailing northeast monsoon conditions are expected to persist in the first half of next month, with low-level winds blowing from the northwest or northeast.

On a few days during the next two weeks, widespread moderate to heavy thundery showers induced by large-scale convergence of winds over Singapore and the surrounding region may also be expected.

“Overall, the rainfall for the first half of February 2022 is forecast to be above-average over most parts of the island,” the agency added.

The daily temperature for the first two weeks of next month is forecast to range between 24°C and 33°C, with the daily maximum temperature possibly hitting a high of around 34°C on a few days, MSS said.

‘COOL, WET WEATHER’ IN JANUARY

In its review of January’s weather, the service said that Singapore experienced cool and wet weather for a couple of days between New Year's Eve and Jan 2.

These conditions were brought about by a monsoon surge over the equatorial South China Sea region in the first few days of this year.

Jan 2 also saw widespread and continuous moderate rainfall over the island between the pre-dawn hours and afternoon. 

A total of 101.2mm of rainfall was recorded at Lower Peirce Reservoir on that day, the highest daily total rainfall for this month. 

After that wet start to the year, it was warm and dry on most days with a few days of short-duration showers in January.

Most parts of the island recorded below-average rainfall for the month.

Simei, in Singapore's east, recorded the highest anomaly of 57 per cent below-average rainfall. 

The daily temperature in January ranged from 22.5°C to 35.4°C. 

The highest daily maximum temperature of 35.4°C was recorded on Jan 29 at Newton.

The lowest daily temperature this month was 22.5°C recorded on Jan 20 at Pasir Panjang.