Northeast Monsoon expected to peak end of Nov, more rainfall in Sabah, Sarawak, east coast

PUTRAJAYA (Nov 8): The Northeast Monsoon is expected to reach its peak at the end of this month, witnessing a high rain distribution on the Malaysia-Thailand border besides the states on the east coast as well as Sabah and Sarawak.

Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said during the period, the states in question are expected to receive between 20 to 40 per cent more rainfall.

He said that for states in the Peninsula the period starts from the end of November until the beginning of January while in Sabah it is expected until February or March.

“Even if the forecast expects rainfall to increase by 20 to 40 per cent, it does not necessarily mean that a major flood will occur, a major flood will only occur if high rainfall is recorded in a short period of time, such as more than 20 per cent in two days,” he said.

He told reporters after attending a session on the government’s preparations for the Northeast Monsoon 2024/2025 at the Special Malaysian Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) headquarters on Pulau Meranti near here today.

In the meantime, Mohd Hisham also called on the public to download the myCuaca application as a reference for weather forecasts in their respective locations.

“All the latest information regarding the weather will be notified through the application and information related to the sea and earthquake situation will also be shared. So far, 200,000 users have downloaded the application,” he said.

Meanwhile, the deputy director (Operations) of the National Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre of the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Dr Salwa Ramly, said her department had carried out maintenance work on 500 flood warning sirens across the country in preparation for the Northeast Monsoon.

According to Salwa, the siren warns the local residents based on the status of the river’s water level with a sound that can be heard up to two kilometres away.

Salwa said the public was also asked to report to his side if they saw any damaged flood warning sirens in their respective areas so that immediate action could be taken.

“We recommend the community to also take care of these sirens because some do not sound due to acts of vandalism as well as too much garbage stuck on the sirens,” she said. – Bernama