The start of 2021 is incredibly memorable, and this time, it’s not because of Covid-19.
Singapore’s winter weather continued into the year, even going as far as beating the initial forecast by the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) on Thursday (31 December 2020), which estimated an average temperature of 23°C to 33°C over the first two weeks of January, with lows of 22°C on several days.
Singapore recorded a temperature of 21.5°C on the second day of the new year.
And that’s not the end of it, with rain pouring continuously into the second week.
So when it’s said that Singapore is the wettest January since 1893, I think we can all get behind that.
Jan 2021 is the Wettest Jan Since 1893 & We Still Have 6 More Days This Month
On 24 Jan 2021, it was reported that Singapore has recorded 648.4mm of rain as of 20 Jan 2021.
That puts it above the second-highest record for rainfall in January, which was previously occupied by 1918, which recorded 634.5mm of rain, according to the Meteorological Service of Singapore (MSS).
The highest recorded rainfall for January was in 1893 at 818.6mm.
As for whether we have the chance to break the record, it’s still up in the air.
Heavy rains had occurred, for a short duration, over the past week, especially on Sunday after the altocumulus cloud phenomenon, and the four-day outlook forecast rain for three days.
Why?
A spokesperson for MSS says that the wet weather (and aircon temperatures) are mainly caused by a monsoon surge.
Prevailing La Nina conditions might have an influence on it as well.
For the uninitiated, La Nina is the cooler counterpart of El Nino and is typically associated with rainy weather in Southeast Asia.
However, because La Nina persists for a few months, it’s difficult to confirm if the weather phenomenon contributed to the wet weather in Singapore.
It is stated, though, that if La Nina is to stay here like a good girl, we can expect a wet February and March 2021 as well.
The Northeast Monsoon Surge
Currently, Singapore is experiencing the Northeast monsoon surge where strong winds send cool air from winter regions in the north.
As the air warms up and gathers moisture while travelling to the region, it’ll form rain clouds which’ll drop their payloads over Singapore and our neighbouring countries.
Climate Change – A Factor?
How about climate change, you ask. Given how the world’s getting more polluted, and more greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, would the weather we’re experiencing the new norm?
The short answer is…no.
Or, at least, they don’t know yet.
According to Winston Chow, associate professor at the Singapore Management University (SMU), while putting more greenhouse gases into the air can increase rainfall, like what Singapore is going through right now, monsoon rainfall here is caused by a host of different factors.
To list down a few, there’s the temperature difference between the land and sea, larger-scale winds, air pollution, cloud formation and more.
More “post-hoc” studies will have to be undertaken to understand the phenomenon, he said.
On a more positive note, the US is looking to get back into protecting the environment once again, which is good news for environmentalists around the world.
By the way, did you manage to catch the IG-worthy clouds that are spread all over Singapore on Sunday morning?
Here’s what you need to know about it.
Featured Image: MACH Photos / Shutterstock.com
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