Winter Weather Continues on 2nd Day of 2021; Might Break Record of Highest Rainfall in a Day

2020 may have given us a pandemic, but it seems that 2021 is compensating with good ol’ sweater weather.

In fact, the lowest temperature recorded today (2 January) at 1:00 p.m. stood at just 21.5°C, and it may not even be done for the day.

Winter Continues on 2nd Day of 2021; Close to Record of Highest Rainfall in a Day

According to The Straits Times, the wet condition on New Year’s Day shows no signs of faltering.

At 1:00 p.m. in Admiralty today, a freezing-cold temperature of 21.5°C was recorded.

This beats 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.

It also beats my Aunt Matilda’s air-con temperature, though she’s too cold-blooded in the first place to tell the difference anyway.

In addition, rain has also been plentiful today, with it being especially significant in Pasir Ris and Changi.

This had led to speculations that the record for highest rainfall in a day might be broken.

“The highest total rainfall in one day for January is 216.2mm for manned weather stations, and 238.2mm for automated weather stations,” tweeted Dr Winston Chow, Associate Professor of Science, Technology and Society at the Singapore Management University’s School of Social Sciences on Saturday morning.

“As of 10.30am, the Changi Airport station has measured 159mm of rainfall since midnight. With the monsoon surge not expected to cease until tomorrow, chances are this record will be broken with time to spare,” he added.

Paying attention to a record that may be broken today for rainfall in Singapore.

The highest total rainfall *in one day* for *January* is 216.2 mm for manned weather stations (238.2 mm for automated weather stations). (1/n)https://t.co/rmBzJTN0Ep pic.twitter.com/wc4PJc9F6I

— Winston Chow (周祥龙) 🇸🇬 (@winstontlchow) January 2, 2021

Would we break a record today? You’ll know soon enough.

On 1 January 2020, temperatures of 21.2°C, 21.4°C, and 21.9°C occurred in Bukit Timah, Admiralty, and Kovan.

MSS Prediction

According to the MSS, the cold, wet weather that we’ve been experiencing in December 2020 will extend to Jan 2021.

During the first week of the year, one can expect windy and cooler conditions with moderate to heavy showers over Singapore on two to three days due to the monsoon surge.

Cooler daily temperatures between 22 °C and 31 °C are also expected on a few days, with temperatures for other days forecast to range between 23 °C and 33 °C.

On one or two days, however, daily temperatures can still reach a maximum of 34 °C.

Overall, the rainfall for the first two weeks of Jan 2021 is expected to be above average over most parts of the island.

In other words, if you’re still not used to bringing an umbrella with you when you’re out, now might be a good chance to get used to it.

Featured Image: MACH Photos / Shutterstock.com