PETALING JAYA: Strong winds, heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected over the coming days due to the “squall line phenomenon”, says the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).
Its director-general Jailan Simon said the country was currently in the middle of the southwest monsoon, which began on May 19 and was expected to last till the second or third week of September.
“Most parts of the country will see more days without rain in general and the risk of flooding is low.
“However, at the present moment, heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms due to the squall line phenomenon can still occur in the west coast of the peninsula and west of Sabah in the early morning,” he said when contacted yesterday.
A squall line is a stretch of thunderstorms formed by the focusing of wind and can last several hours.
Jailan said the phenomenon might also result in evening thunderstorms in the peninsula as well as west of Sabah and Sarawak.
“Heavy showers during this period could result in flooding at low-lying areas,” he said, adding that there was a wetter-than-usual forecast for this month owing to the transition phase of the El Nino/La Nina Southern Oscillation (Enso).
“Normal rainfall is expected to begin in August with no serious incidents of transboundary haze,” he said, advising the public to keep tabs on weather forecasts and warnings issued by MetMalaysia through its website or myCuaca app.Enso is a recurring climate pattern where the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean keeps changing.
The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) said it would be coordinating with the states to handle evacuation and relief operations in the event of floods.
Owing to the current Covid-19 situation, the agency has revised last year’s standard operating procedure to handle this, and will be making further revisions to improve its effectiveness.
This, according to the agency, includes coordination with NGOs participating in evacuation and relief operations.
In BUKIT MERTAJAM, the Civil Defence Force said it was geared up and ready to go.
Its central Seberang Prai district chief officer Kapt Mohd Fadhil Fahmi Zaini said five boats of various sizes as well as a pickup truck and an ambulance were on standby to respond to any emergency.
“About 100 personnel are on alert for rescue operations during storms and floods. We have identified the hotspots and many of them are in rural areas and villages.
“Food supplies which have been donated are being stored at our base and ready to be channelled out,” he said.