Here comes the sun: Equinox heatwave set to cook Malaysia til April

If you’ve been complaining about how much rain we’ve been getting, you’re about to be in luck. For the rest of us, not so much. 

Malaysia’s experiencing a global heatwave at the moment, part of the Equinox weather phenomenon, and we can expect it to stay toasty until April.

We’ve been here before – the Equinox happens twice every year, in March and September, when the sun is positioned directly above the equator, thus hitting our part of the world with the highest degree of heat. 

Dr Mazlan Hashim, director of the Institute of Geospatial Science & Technology, told Astro Awani the phenomenon would also result in longer daytime periods than normal.

“During this equinox , the sun is nearer to the equator. So what happens is that we will be facing a longer daytime between 16 to 34 minutes but we will know the exact amount if calculation is done, but it is between 16 to 34 minutes.

“When the daytime is longer, the expose to sun is more and with the current situation which sees a thinner ozone layer, the temperature will increase but until now, no warnings have been inssued if the equinox is at its critical position or not.

“We hope that this is not the case but the temperature will increase a bit compared to normal times,” said Dr Mazlan.

He also urged members of the public to avoid being exposed to the sun, and to keep hydrated by drinking a lot of water. 

 

Get Coconuts news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our newsletter below for a chance to win a limited edition Coconuts hat.
 

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required




BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
YouTube video
Subscribe on