KUALA LUMPUR: Some areas in the north of the peninsula, especially in Sik, Kedah and Chuping, Perlis are predicted to experience high temperatures of up to 38 degrees Celsius at the end of this month or early April.
Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) National Weather and Geophysics Operations Centre director Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said temperatures are expected to peak following the phase of the northeast monsoon.
“Now the temperatures will feel hotter. When the temperature peaks around the end of March or beginning of April, we expect temperatures in some areas will reach up to 38 degrees Celsius.
“When the heatwave reaches its peak, temperatures in one or two areas may be in the second stage, namely the maximum temperature can exceed 37 to 40 degrees Celsius for at least three consecutive days and this hot spots are common in Sik and Chuping,” he said. when contacted by Bernama on Friday.
Mohd Hisham said that based on the status of the current heat wave, eight areas in the northern states, respectively in Chuping, Perlis; Kota Setar, Pendang, Sik and Kulim in Kedah and Hulu Perak, Kuala Kangsar and Kinta in Perak are on heatwave alert, with maximum daily temperatures reaching 35 to 37 degrees Celsius.
“Last month, only three areas, namely Chuping, Sik and Kota Setar, were on heatwave alert but yesterday the number of areas on alert increased to eight areas,” he said.
However, Mohd Hisham said peak temperatures was not expected to last and the temperature would return to normal during the monsoon transition phase in April or early May when rainfall would be about 200 to 300 millimetres (mm) per month compared to the current 50 mm per month.
Commenting on the occurrence of haze, Mohd Hisham said the current hot weather did not bring significant haze to the country as the haze usually occurs during the southwest monsoon when the wind blows from the direction of Sumatra or Kalimantan towards our country. This usually occurs between August and October.
“Right now, the wind is blowing from the South China Sea and the impact of the haze is not significant. In the event of a haze, it is just a local haze caused by environmental activities such as a small fire and it is not cross-border haze,” he said.
Based on the Department of Environment portal, up to 5 pm, 56 stations recorded moderate Air Pollutant Index (API) readings of 51 to 100, while another 10 stations recorded a good API reading of below 50. -- BERNAMA