Wet weather to continue as squall line hits country
PETALING JAYA: Several parts of the country are expected to see brief downpours and thunderstorms over the next few days due to the “squall line” weather phenomenon, say weather experts.
A squall line is a cluster of storms spread out in a line, often accompanied by “squalls” of high wind and heavy rain for a brief period.
Malaysian Meteorological Department (Metmalaysia) director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said some parts of the country are expected to experience wet weather over the next few days.
“The weather is expected to be wet in the early and late evenings until the end of this week,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Asked if the current wet spell was due to the La Nina weather phenomenon, Mohd Hisham said it was not.
“The La Nina weather phenomenon has yet to begin.
“The current wet spell is due to weaker southwest monsoon winds,” he added.
The southwest monsoon began in mid-may and is expected to continue until next month.
Based on projections by Metmalaysia, heavy showers, strong winds and thunderstorms due to the squall line could affect the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, north of Sarawak and west of Sabah.
Meteorological expert Prof Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah said the recent heavy showers and thunderstorms coupled with the squall line phenomenon were the likely cause of flooding in several districts in Melaka and Negri Sembilan.
“The floods are associated with heavy thunderstorms and the squall line moving from the coast to inland, especially the west coast of the peninsula,” he said.
As for the recent flooding in Labuan, he said it was caused by a different cluster of thunderstorms, and not due to La Nina, which has yet to develop.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) said the number of flood victims has reduced in Melaka and Labuan.
As at 4pm yesterday, there were 50 victims in Melaka involving 15 families, and 12 in Labuan involving three families.
The families are currently housed in seven flood relief centres, Nadma said in a statement.
On Monday, over 400 people in Melaka and more than 70 in Negri Sembilan were moved to various flood relief centres while residents in Labuan moved to higher ground after floods affected some areas in the two states and the Federal Territory.
Melaka was the most affected, with 419 people from 123 families evacuated to seven shelters in Alor Gajah.