KL to expect more flash floods as Malaysia s inter monsoon season starts in April

PETALING JAYA - The west coast of Peninsular Malaysia is expected to be hit by thunderstorms and flash floods, especially urban areas such as Kuala Lumpur, with the arrival of the inter-monsoon season in April.

As the north-east monsoon season reaches the tail end, the inter-monsoon period typically follows in April and May before the south-west monsoon cycle begins in June.

Climatologist professor Fredolin Tangang said the southwest monsoon will bring dry and hot weather and possibly hazy skies, especially if forest fires break out not only within the country but also in the south of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

“As we progress into the rest of March and the next few months, the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and Boreal Summer Intra-Seasonal Oscillation (Bsiso) could exert their impact on weather and short-term climatic conditions of either dry and hot or wet conditions depending on the phases of these phenomena,” he said.

“We will also face the equinox on March 21,” said Dr Tangang.

“Without sufficient cloud cover, the equinox can increase incoming solar radiation and surface heat absorption. This can also drive heat waves if it is present during the suppressed convection phase of MJO,” said Dr Tangang, who is a fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia.

MJO is a tropical weather pattern that moves eastward around the globe, bringing alternating periods of rainfall and dry conditions every 30 to 60 days.

Quite similar to MJO is Bsiso, which is specifically active during the northern hemisphere summer between May and October.

It consists of 30 to 90-day oscillations that move northward and eastward, affecting South-East Asian monsoons and weather patterns.

Dr Tangang said according to the Apec Climate Centre, there is a 70 per cent likelihood of temperature in the region to be above normal for the rest of the year,