Haze Might Be Coming Back to S’pore & It Could Last for Months

I don’t know about you, but somehow, I’ve forgotten about the haze.

But if you’re like me who now remembers N95 as Nokia 95 instead of a facemask, then you’d probably want to pay attention to this article, because the haze might be coming back.

And it’s not a haze that’ll last for days. There’s a chance that you can siam your IPPT it’ll drag on for months, and there’s nothing much we can do except to pray, or hope that Storm from X-Men is real.

Why the Haze

Lest you think the haze is already here because of the burnt air you’ve breathing in recently, fret not: chances are, they’re just burned offerings since the Hungry Ghost Month has just started two days ago.

However, if you’ve read our articles daily, you’d know that since July 2019, it hasn’t been raining that often; and that’s set to last  until October 2019, with monthly rainfall to be up to 60% below average.

The dry period would even persist to the end of the year due to the impact of the Indian Ocean Dipole. I know that sounds chim to you, but here’s the Goody Feed explanation in a simple sentence: a change in sea surface temperature leads to lower rainfall for about six months.

Common sense would tell you that dry weather means there won’t be rain to clear the haze and put out the hotspots in hour neighbouring countries.

But wait: are there hotspots?

Unfortunate, yes.

According to the NEA, persistent hotspot activities with smoke plumes have been observed in Riau and Jambi provinces in Sumatra and southern parts of Kalimantan in recent days. These conditions can lead to an escalation of hotspot activities and an increase in the risk of transboundary haze occurrence in Singapore and the surrounding region.

Now, given the drier climate and more hotspots, the NEA has warned that Singapore might “experience occasional occurrences of transboundary haze during the next few weeks to months.”

The likelihood of haze affecting Singapore is dependent on factors such as the proximity and extent of the fires, the direction and strength of the prevailing winds, and the incidence of rain.

Like what I’ve mentioned earlier, the best solution now is to…pray.

Or if anyone knows Storm’s Instagram handle, maybe it’s time to share it with us.