With February kicking off tomorrow (man, that was quick), we’re taking a look back at January 2018, and boy was it a wet, cold month. Not that we’re complaining — any respite from the usual sweaty Singaporean sun, heat-induced migraines and pit stains are welcome.
That being said, it’s been an unusually rainy, flood-frequent month, which really shouldn’t have been a surprise, considering we’re in the wet phase of the Northeast Monsoon Season that typically takes place from December to January. But as a sign that climate change means serious business, the extremities in weather that Singapore has experienced so far this year have been pretty devastating, with multiple flooded roads, several toppled trees, and even hail raining down in parts of the country.
Let’s take a look at January’s major weather incidents.
Eastern floods, Jan 8
’Twas a proper stormy morning across Singapore with continuous torrential downpour that caused flash floods in several parts of the eastern end of the island. Upper Changi Road, Jalan Nipah, Arumugam Road, Tampines Avenue 12, Bedok North Avenue 4, Sims Avenue and more were hit by rising water levels deep enough to cause more than a few vehicles to be stranded in the middle of flooded roads. A tree toppled along Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, crippling traffic flow and sending two casualties to the hospital.
It made for some pretty jaw-dropping (and hilarious) viral footage on social media. Alongside the copious internet memes that followed, someone even set up a Facebook event page inviting folks to kayak down the flooded streets.
Frosty fun times, Jan 10 – 14
With the floods barely at the back of our minds, the whole island experienced a sweet, sweet bout of cool weather — the mercury dipped to as low as 21.2°C, the lowest recorded temperature in the country since 2016. It was cold enough to prompt a kind restaurant owner to purchase and distribute blankets to the homeless when he witnessed an elderly man in Chinatown shivering while attempting to sleep on the streets. On Reddit, someone astutely explained why it feels colder than what the temperature actually is.
But our fun time in the frosty air came to an end when Jan 15 came around. The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) however, noted that the country had experienced the longest bout of a cold spell in at least a decade — usually, monsoon surges that affect us only last three days at most. These surges commonly hit Singapore between December and March, where sudden increases in wind speed bring cold air from the Northern Hemisphere to our equatorial region, with rain as a result.
Drown the city, Jan 24
Seems like Mother Nature’s way of compensating for all the hot days was to drench the city center in torrential rain in the late afternoon of Jan 24. Flash floods hit Tanjong Pagar and Outram, as well as Jalan Boon Lay in the west. Reports noted that the waters were ankle-deep along the busy Tanjong Pagar Road stretch.
Hailstones, floods, and toppled trees, Jan 30
Yesterday’s weather appeared to be the scariest one so far. Residents in the northern part of Singapore reported seeing hailstones across neighborhoods like Yishun, Seletar, and Ang Mo Kio during the heavy downpour yesterday evening. Loud bolts of crackling thunder were heard during the storm, and a number of netizens recounted their experiences seeing small white objects raining down in places such as Nanyang Polytechnic, Seletar Airport, and Seletar Country Club.
The torrential rain also brought about strong winds, which saw a large tree branch crash into one of the pasar malam tents in Chong Pang, a tree uprooted near Yishun Secondary School, a fallen tree branch near Sembawang Country Club, and a brief flash flood in Seletar. Damn.
Crazy storm and stuck in traffic on the way from #Yishun to #YioChuKang this aft. Hail, 20+ trees over the road, thick traffic, snapped road barriers, bent signage. Our taxi driver said he’s never seen anything like it….and he’s been around awhile! #singapore #storm #weather pic.twitter.com/62s7T2BLgG
— The Snapped Fork (@thesnappedfork) January 30, 2018
Windfury, Jan 31
Mama Earth wasn’t done just yet, even on the eve of February. Though the city experienced a standard heavy downpour, intense, howling winds battered East Coast Park — strong enough to send boats and dumpsters flying into the air near the National Sailing Centre. Words don’t do it justice, really, just watch the chaos unfold.
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