Hazy mornings expected over coming days, predicts NEA
[UPDATE on 21 August at 10am: adding revised NEA prediction, more updates]
Hazy conditions that resurfaced in several parts of Singapore on Tuesday are expected to persist in the mornings of the coming days, said the National Environment Agency (NEA).
In an about-turn from their projection of conditions improving later Tuesday from a weather update released in the afternoon, the agency said in its daily haze forecast for Wednesday that Singapore may experience "slightly hazy conditions in the morning" over the coming few days.
This, they explained, is due to low level winds blowing from the south-southeast or south-southwest, bringing particulate matter from at least 29 hotspots detected in Sumatra on Tuesday, as compared to 82 on Monday.
This number, however, the NEA noted, could have been dwarfed by extensive cloud cover over the central and northern regions of Sumatra, although showers over the areas "would have helped to further subdue the hotspot activities there".
That said, the skies looked clearer Wednesday morning with a three-hour PSI of 24 at 10am, and a 24-hour PSI of 28-38.
Reports of the skies looking foggy and a burnt smell in the air filtered in from around Tuesday morning, and the three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) rose from 26 at 7am to a high of 56 at 3pm, falling slightly to 52 at 4pm, just in the "moderate" range.
Meanwhile, the 24-hour PSI, which assesses potential impact of the air quality as well as PM2.5 concentration, inched up slightly from 21-29 at 6am to 29-36 at 3pm Tuesday.
In an advisory posted on its website at 2pm, the NEA said the haze was brought over by southwesterly winds overnight from fires in southern Sumatra.
"The current slightly hazy condition is expected to improve with the strengthening of winds, and change in wind direction to blow from the south in the later part of the day," the NEA added in its statement, promising updates with further developments.
A similar-sounding statement was posted on Environment Minister Vivian Balakrishnan's Facebook page.
Readers shared pictures of the haze with Yahoo! Singapore, sharing a mix of experiences with air quality, in particular in the southern and eastern parts of the island.
Said a 30-year-old executive who wanted to be known as Ms Tan, "The sky looked dark, as if it was going to rain — but there is no rain, and the air smells a bit burnt."
The mother of a two-year-old, who works in the Tanjong Pagar area, voiced her concern about the return of the haze, although adding that she has two boxes of N95 masks on stand by from June.
"Hopefully it will not, since it's really difficult for breathing, and it'll be bad for my baby," she added.
Shipping coordinator Eugene Nonis, who works near Harbourfront, said his view of the cable lines on the cable cars was obscured because of the haze this morning, although it cleared up by about lunchtime.
"It wasn't that alarming, really, especially since we experienced much more terrible conditions in June," he said. "This was really minor in comparison… (the air) wasn't as bad as in June, but it was definitely not fresh."
The air seemed slightly better in Jurong, said a manager who wanted to be known as Mr Foo.
While he said he and his family have made adequate preparations should the haze return, he shared his hopes that the NEA will be able to give greater advance notice of it.
"The NEA knows wind direction and other relevant information to do this, just like how they forecast heavy rain periods — they'll give advance notice for that," he said. "I would appreciate an early warning (of the return of the haze) from the NEA rather than the reactive manner in which they responded to it today."
To check the latest updates on the PSI, visit the NEA website here.
