PETALING JAYA: A weather expert says it is rather uncommon to have rain and floods in June after floods were reported in five Johor districts, forcing more than 1,210 people to be evacuated from homes.
Climatologist and oceanographer Prof Fredolin Tangang, of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said the rainy season should have ended in May but it seems to have been extended by almost another month.
“The rainy weather is expected to be here for another week at least, but we will wait and see.
“The floods indicate the high level convergence of moisture in the air and clouds,” he told FMT.
As of 8am today, the five flooded districts were Muar, Batu Pahat, Tangkak, Kluang and Pontian.
Tangang said at present, Malaysia should be experiencing dry and hot weather under the southwest monsoon but Malaysians are experiencing the reverse.
The dry weather is supposed to last till the end of August, followed by a rainy season from September to December, which usually sees floods on the east coast, he added.
“But what is happening now is not our typical hot and dry weather … having floods at this time is very unusual,” he said.
Tangang said the June rainy season is brought by the Median Julian Oscillation (MJO), with winds filled with moist clouds crossing from the Indian Ocean, passing over Malaysia to the Pacific Ocean.
Due to that, it will depend on how long the winds take to cross from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific.
Globally, there are studies being carried out whether the frequency of MJO, which can trigger the El Nino or La Nina phenomena, would take place more regularly due to climate changes. - FMT
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