National water agency PUB issued a warning on Monday, March 17, that flash floods could occur, and that rainy weather was predicted later in the week.
The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said that a monsoon surge is expected between March 19 and March 21, bringing moderate to heavy rain across Singapore.
The surge will also bring windy and cooler conditions, including lower daily minimum temperatures of roughly 22 degrees Celsius, in addition to the rain, according to the Met Service. As a result, most days in March may see temperatures between 24 and 34 degrees Celsius.
The monsoon surge coincides with the strengthening of northeasterly winds over the South China Sea, which will result in the formation of widespread rain clouds over the surrounding area.
In a Facebook post, PUB said, "Intense rainfall may overwhelm our drains and canals temporarily, causing flash floods." The agency advised he public to subscribe to its flood alerts and adjust any planned travel routes accordingly.
According to MSS forecast, there will be brief, thundery showers in the afternoon for the rest of the two-week period in March. It also stated that it anticipates "above average" rainfall across the majority of Singapore during the second half of the month.
Based on historical data from 1991 to 2020, the average rainfall for March is 151.7 mm.
The Met Service had described the monsoon surge that hit Singapore earlier in the year, which lasted from January 10 to January 13, as "one of the longer and more intense" ones in recent memory.
Flood risk alerts were issued in several places as a result of the surge, which brought moderate to heavy rain. PUB stated at the time that "heavy rain coinciding with high tide" was the cause of the flooding that happened along a section of Jalan Seaview on January 10.
Due to bad weather brought on by the monsoon surge and the ensuing continuous rain, 12 planes were also rerouted from Changi Airport.
According to PUB at the time, Changi experienced the most rainfall overall in January, with 255.2 mm from January 10 to January 11, above Singapore's normal monthly rainfall of 222.4 mm.
Later, PUB stated that it anticipated "prolonged rainfall" from another monsoon surge that would occur from January 17 to January 19.
