KUALA LUMPUR: States in the northern region are bracing for strong winds and heavy rainfall as the tropical storm Pabuk leaves the East Coast heading towards Thailand.
Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Alui Bahari said a yellow stage warning has been raised against Perlis, Kedah and Penang, anticipating heavy downpour at all three states as the tropical storm crosses Segenting Kra to the Andaman Sea.
Alui, in a statement, said a similar warning was also issued for the northern part of Perak particularly Hulu Perak, Kerian, Larut, Matang and Selama.
The yellow stage warning is an indicator of heavy rain to come in one or two days.
“As the storm heads towards the Andaman sea, it will trigger heavy rainfall in states located within the northern region of the Peninsular.
“Strong winds over 40km per hour (kmph) are expected to occur at these states causing damages to unstable structures as well as triggering risk of falling trees,” he said
The advisory was initially issued on Jan 3 and would be enforced until tomorrow for the affected states.
As of 3pm today, Alui said the tropical storm is moving closer to Segenting Kra with a speed of 20kmph.
“The tropical storm is located 239km from Arau (Perlis) and 288km from Kota Baru (Kelantan).
“The movement of the storm is expected to trigger strong winds of 50kmph with waves of up to 3.5m high expected to occur over the waters of Kelantan, Perlis, Kedah and Penang.
“The condition of strong winds and rough seas is dangerous to all shipping and coastal activities including fishing, ferry services and oil platform.”