MetMalaysia predicts first flood wave will be less severe than 2021
The department cautions that continuous heavy rain is still anticipated in the coming days and the risk of flooding remains a concern throughout the monsoon season.
SHAH ALAM - MetMalaysia expects the first flood wave of this year’s Northeast Monsoon to be less severe than the disaster experienced in 2021, based on current weather model data.
However, the department cautions that continuous heavy rain was still anticipated in the coming days and the risk of flooding remained a concern throughout the monsoon season.
According to MetMalaysia Director-General Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip, a monsoon surge from mainland China was set to reach Malaysia beginning Tuesday, bringing prolonged heavy rain.
He said the situation was less critical because the surge was not arriving in tandem with easterly winds from the Pacific Ocean.
“If both phenomena enter the region simultaneously, it could bring heavier rain and potentially lead to more severe conditions. However, in the coming days, we expect another episode that may bring heavy rain from Tuesday until Nov 28.
“This will have an impact on east coast states such as Terengganu, Kelantan and also northern states,” he told Sinar.
The floods that began affecting multiple states on Saturday have worsened, with Kelantan currently reporting the highest number of victims. A total of eight states have experienced flooding since Sunday and conditions may deteriorate further due to warnings of continuous heavy rain issued for several states until Tuesday.
Hisham advised the public to remain alert, cautioning that localised conditions may intensify despite overall forecasts signalling a less severe monsoon season.
“I think it will not be as huge as in 2021, but in some places the situation may be worse than today. We can only forecast up to one week ahead.
“But we hope everyone will be prepared because five to seven episodes of heavy rain are expected during this Northeast Monsoon,” he added.
Malaysia’s 2021 floods remained among the worst in the country’s history, with relentless rainfall over more than two days beginning Dec 18, 2021, leading to widespread devastation across the Klang Valley and several east coast states.
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