Heat and haze could linger over Singapore for a longer period due to El Nino: Experts

Singapore’s hot and hazy conditions could persist as the strong El Niño weather phenomenon delays the retreat of the region’s dry season, experts told The Straits Times.

Assistant Professor Wang Jingyu, a weather and climate expert at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, expects more substantial relief to arrive only around December.

The dry season across the equatorial ASEAN region, including Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, usually extends from June to September. This year’s El Niño has overlapped with the dry season, reducing rainfall and creating conditions favourable for wildfires. Indonesia is experiencing its most intense fire season in 11 years, while southerly winds have carried smoke towards Singapore and pushed local air quality into the unhealthy range.

During years without El Niño, the dry south-west monsoon generally tapers off by September, with the wetter north-east monsoon beginning around late November. Strong El Niño events, however, can extend dry conditions across southern ASEAN and contribute to lower rainfall and higher temperatures in October and November.

Asst Prof Wang explained that conditions should improve when winds shift to blow from the north, carrying regional smoke away from Singapore. The north-east monsoon also usually brings more rain, which helps remove pollutants from the air.

More sustained relief from the haze may come when monsoon rains reach Indonesia in late December or early January and help contain or extinguish the fires.

However, Asst Prof Wang cautioned that the respite may be weaker and shorter than usual. Strong El Niño conditions can suppress cold surges and rainfall, while the north-east monsoon typically enters a drier phase from late January to March.

Singapore could therefore experience a brief improvement around December, followed by a return to warmer and drier weather—and potentially hazy conditions—during the latter half of the monsoon season.

The outlook highlights how El Niño, long-term warming and regional fire activity can interact to influence Singapore’s rainfall, temperatures and air quality across several months.

Read the original article from The Straits Times here.