Haze is expected to as quickly as once more rear its ugly head in Southeast Asia. The Meteorological Service Singapore has forecasted that El Nino conditions are anticipated to develop in the second half of 2023, following three years of La Nina conditions. This comes seven years after the last robust El Nino occasion. The Met Service also predicts that a constructive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) event will develop throughout the identical period. “There is a 70% to 80% probability of an El Nino event occurring this year,” the Met Service mentioned in an advisory.
El Nino and La Nina are local weather patterns in the Pacific Ocean that can have an result on weather worldwide. Both phenomena are attributable to, and contribute to, naturally occurring local weather variability, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
During an El Nino event, Singapore can anticipate its rainfall to be affected considerably, Channel News Asia reported. “El Nino occasions are inclined to have the most important influence on Singapore’s rainfall through the southwest monsoon season from June to September, with rainfall up to 45% beneath common,” the Met Service said.
Temperatures will also rise throughout such an occasion. “El Nino events also bring hotter temperatures to Singapore, with the warmest temperatures usually occurring when El Nino events weaken sometimes in March to April the 12 months following the beginning of the event,” the Met Service mentioned.
An El Nino occasion and a constructive IOD event might increase the depth of the dry season and lengthen it into October, growing the danger that haze will impact Singapore. “Drier and hotter conditions are conducive to the development of peatland and vegetation fires,” the Met Service stated. “ Comprehensive will improve the chance of transboundary haze affecting Singapore if fires develop in close proximity and prevailing south-easterly to south-westerly winds blow smoke haze from the fires in direction of Singapore.”
On Monday, the meteorological centre of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) additionally flagged a better threat of escalated hotspot activity and transboundary haze within the southern ASEAN region from June to October. The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) made this announcement because it issued Alert Level 1, indicating the beginning of the dry season related to the Southwest Monsoon in the southern ASEAN region.
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu stated in a Facebook post on Tuesday that the NEA has convened the Inter-Agency Haze Task Force to evaluation and put together Singapore’s responses in case of transboundary haze. “As a precaution, Singaporeans might wish to make preparations to guard your loved ones, such as by guaranteeing that you’ve an sufficient supply of N95 face masks and your air purifiers are in good working condition.”