Heavy rain expected to continue till next month

KUALA LUMPUR: People in the east coast have been told to brace for the possibility of floods as heavy rain is expected to continue until next month.

Meteorological Department director-general Alui Bahar said if the downpour continued for more than three days in a row, the floods would likely occur in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor.

“The department is not expecting severe floods similar to that of last year as the weather this year is not influenced by phenomena such as El Nino and La Nina.

“However, if the rainfall continues unabated for more than three days, it is likely that some districts will be flooded,” he told the New Straits Times yesterday.

Alui said severe thunderstorm warnings had been issued in some districts in Kelantan, such as Tumpat, Pasir Mas, Kota Baru, Bachok, Pasir Puteh, Machang, Tanah Merah, and Gua Musang.

Other districts which are put on alert are Jerantut, Kuantan, Pekan, Rompin, Temerloh and Maran in Pahang; Mersing and Kota Tinggi (Johor); and, Langkawi, Kubang Pasu and Pokok Sena (Kedah).

Alui said the weather in the peninsula was forecast to improve in January but the rainy spell was expected to move to Sabah and Sarawak.

“People in Borneo can expect heavy rains to continue until January.

“The department will monitor the situation and alert the public to brace for floods.”

He advised the public to install the “myCuaca” mobile application to keep tabs on weather forecast or follow the department’ s Twitter account at @malaysianmet.

The public can also visit the department’s website at www.met.gov.my, or contact the department via SMS to 15888 or its hotline at 1300 22 1638.

The year-end monsoon season in the east coast originates in the Pacific Ocean, and it runs from mid-October to late March.

Last year, at least 1,200 people in Kelantan were evacuated to flood relief centres when their homes were inundated.

It was believed the floods had worsened due to excessive logging and land-clearing.

In 2014, about 100,000 people in Kelantan were affected by the floods, which was the worst to have hit the country in almost 50 years.