July 2019 was the driest, second-warmest July on record in Singapore
SINGAPORE — Singapore experienced its driest July last month since rainfall was first recorded way back in 1869.
The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) said in a media release on Thursday (1 August) that the total rainfall recorded for July 2019 at the Changi climate station was 12.2 millimetres. The previous record was 18.6mm set in July 1997.
First half of August could be even drier
It said that, while the first half of the month had frequent short, thundery showers, the second half of July was mostly dry and warm, partly due to a mass of dry air blowing from the southern hemisphere toward the equatorial region.
The highest daily total rainfall for last month was 51.6 millimetres, recorded at Mandai on 8 July.
The weather for the first half of August is expected to be drier than that in the second half of July, due to the prevailing Southwest Monsoon conditions, which are forecast to persist until October.
Short-duration rains can still be expected on four or five days of the fortnight, in the late morning and early afternoon. Nonetheless, the rainfall in the coming fortnight is likely to be well below normal levels.
July 2019 second-warmest July on record
July 2019 was also the second-warmest July on record since temperature records began in 1929, with the monthly average temperature was 29.0°C, just behind the 29.1°C recored in July 2015. The daily maximum temperature ranged between 28.7°C and 34.5°C in the past month.
The first half of August 2019 is expected to be just as warm, with the daily temperature over Singapore forecast to range between 26°C and 33°C. On some days, it could exceed 34°C.
In addition, on some nights, warm and humid conditions with temperatures of around 28°C can be expected.
Occasional haze in August?
The expected dry weather in the surrounding region, coupled with the recent observation of hotspots with smoke plumes in central Sumatra and southern Kalimantan, could mean that Singapore may experience occasional haze in the first fortnight of August.
For updates of the daily weather forecast, please visit the MSS website, the National Environment Agency (NEA) website, or download the myENV or MSS’ Weather@SG app.
Subscribe to NEA’s YouTube channel at view the Fortnightly Weather Outlook web video series and learn more about the weather conditions in Singapore.
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