New Heat Stress Advisory helps public understand risks, manage outdoor activities
Sensors across Singapore obtain measurements to inform public on three levels of heat stress risk
SINGAPORE — A new Heat Stress Advisory has been launched by Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) aimed at giving real-time information about heat stress risk across a network of nine sensors across the island.
In a joint media release on Monday (24 July), MSE and NEA said the advisory was created to help Singaporeans make more informed decisions on whether to shorten outdoor activities, in order to minimise the risk of heat stress and heat-related illnesses.
It follows three levels of heat stress risk – low, moderate, and high — and takes into account air temperature, humidity, wind and solar radiation based off the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), which is a measurement reflecting environmental factors that contribute to heat stress.
The sensors will be placed in stadiums in Bedok, Bishan, Clementi, Hougang, Jurong West, Woodlands and the Kallang Practice Track, as well as areas like Changi and Choa Chu Kang.
They will provide average values on the heat stress level, WBGT and air temperature across 15-minute blocks, in areas in where people may experience heightened levels of heat stress. Plans are underway to install sensors in more locations over the next two years.
Tips to deal with heat stress
The public are also provided with tips to take protective action against prevailing heat stress levels.
NEA said that individual circumstances, such as health, age, duration, and intensity of intended outdoor activities, should be taken into consideration when referencing the advisory, which is meant for the general population.
Singapore had recorded the warmest decade in the past 10 years. On 13 May this year, the temperature at Ang Mo Kio reached 37°C, a 40-year-high equivalent to the previous record set on 17 April 1983.
The Heat Stress Advisory is accessible via the myENV app and weather information website.
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