MetMalaysia warns of heavy rain in eight states

 

In deep waters: Motorists encounter flash floods as they head into Jalan Tun Razak near the Parliament building. — Bernama

PETALING JAYA: Eight states have been issued a warning of continuous rain from today until Sunday.

The affected states are those along the east coast and northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, as well as eastern Sabah.

According to the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), the states are Perlis, Kedah, Penang, northern Perak and Kelantan, Terengganu and the eastern part of Pahang.

MetMalaysia director-general Muhammad Helmi Abdullah said the department’s warning is based on its analysis of weather models.

“Strong eastern winds are expected to be concentrated in the east of Sabah, and on the east coast and the northern part of the peninsula until Dec 5. This will have the potential to cause continuous heavy rain in the affected areas.

“At the same time, a low-pressure weather system is expected to form in the South China Sea on Dec 2 and predicted to move west across the Malaysia-Thailand border towards the Andaman Sea from Dec 3 to 4,” he said in a statement yesterday.

This, he added, could increase the intensity of rainfall.

Strong waves and winds, said Muhammad Helmi, are also expected to strike along the coastline and waters of Kelantan and Terengganu, which could be dangerous to beach and marine activities.

He urged members of the public to refer to MetMalaysia’s website at www.met.gov.my and social media for updates, and download the myCuaca app for the latest information.

Universiti Malaya climate expert Prof Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah said Malaysia is still under the influence of both La Nina and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole, which saw warmer temperatures in the tropical east Indian Ocean.

Both these conditions, he said, would encourage more rainfall in Malaysia, southern Thailand and Indonesia.

“As long as La Nina persists with negative Indian Ocean Dipole, expect above normal rainfall for our region until December,” he said in an interview.

Prof Azizan expressed his concern over the forecast of heavy rainfall in Terengganu from around 11pm today until 11am tomorrow, which could lead to flooding.

“There is a low-pressure system forecast at around 8pm on Dec 4 for Kelantan.

“However, forecasting in the tropics is only good for two to three days, then the accuracy drops.“So MetMalaysia needs to monitor and follow up while updating the public,” he added. - Star