PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is currently facing its sixth episode of continuous heavy rains from the monsoon runoff brought about by the North East Monsoon (NEM).
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general, Muhammad Helmi Abdullah, said although this sixth episode is probably the last to bring heavy rain, there is still a possibility that rain and flooding will continue in some areas right into March and April.
He said this is because the NEM is only expected to cease in the middle of March before the transition period to the South West Monsoon, kicks in.
"As long as the NEM has not ended, the country still has the potential for a heavy rain episode like what is happening now, which is the sixth stage of this heavy rain episode.
"We expect that this may be the last episode of heavy rain, but the possibility of it happening is still there because NEM is only expected to end around the middle of March.
"During the transition from NEM to Southwest Monsoon, around April, MetMalaysia also expects thunderstorms and rain to continue," he told BH today.
The current NEM phase began on Nov 7, 2022.
Helmi called on members of the public to keep tabs by checking the weather forecast issued by MetMalaysia.
"While it is still MTL, the possibility of heavy rain and flooding is still there, so people need to continue to be cautious," he said.
MetMalaysia issued a continuous rain warning in several states, with continuous torrential rain expected to hit Pekan and Rompin, Pahang as well as Johor until Thursday (March 2), posing a danger of probable floods.
It said severe-level continuous rain is also expected to occur in Pahang (Jerantut, Maran, Kuantan and Bera), Negri Sembilan and Melaka until Thursday.
Meanwhile, continuous rain at alert level is expected to occur in Manjung, Kinta, Perak Tengah, Kampar, Bagan Datuk, Hilir Perak, Batang Padang and Muallim in Perak; Cameron Highlands, Lipis, Raub, Bentong and Temerloh in Pahang; Terengganu and Selangor until today.
Similar weather is also expected in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Sarawak (Kuching, Serian, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Sarikei, Sibu, Mukah and Bintulu).
Meanwhile, when asked about the possibility of a drought as experienced by Indonesia, Muhammad Helmi said, normally, Malaysia experiences a dry season or relatively less rain during the Southwest Monsoon, which will take place between May to September.
Throughout the period, he explained, the wind usually blows consistently from the southwest with drier atmospheric conditions and low air humidity, causing the formation of rain clouds to occur less throughout the monsoon period.
"If El Nino is recognised, it will cause the situation to be worse than usual. However, MetMalaysia is still monitoring the expected dry weather this year and we will inform the public if there are any new developments," he said.
At the end of last month, the Indonesian government issued a warning to farmers and plantation companies to prepare for fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
This follows the possibility of prolonged dry weather in Southeast Asia following the El Nino weather pattern, which is expected to cause a prolonged summer.
Central Sumatra, where the haze is often spotted and spreads to Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, usually experiences dry weather twice a year, around March and October.