KUANTAN: BRACE yourselves for heavy rain and flash floods next month as Malaysia bids farewell to the much despised haze.
Malaysian Meteorological Department director-general Jailan Simon said during this period, thunderstorms were expected to swamp the west coast and interiors of the peninsula.
“During the monsoon transition period, we tend to experience humid weather,with rain and thunderstorms usually occurring in the late afternoon and early evening.
“This weather will be focused on the west coast and rural areas (of the peninsula), the west coast of Sabah and the west coast and central Sarawak,” he told the New Straits Times.
Asked if Malaysians could expect heavy floods once the monsoon hits in November, Jailan said it was too early to predict.
He said the northeast monsoon was expected to begin in early November and end in March.
During this monsoon season, he said, several episodes of heavy monsoon rain were expected to occur in the eastern coastal states of the peninsula. But he gave his assurance that it would be a “normal” monsoon season.
“When we use the word ‘normal’, it means there will be rain and floods, but not that extreme, compared with the 2014 disaster.
“The department also looks at the current situation. If any systems or phenomena such as El Nino or La Nina were to happen, then it could change the whole situation.
“For example, if by chance strong winds from China were to arrive here, leading to cold nights, there might be more moisture than expected,” he said, adding that this usually affected how heavy the rain would be.
Jailan said floods were expected to begin in Kelantan and Terengganu in the middle of the month and would hit Pahang by the end of November.
He said flooding in Johor would begin in December up to early January, while flooding in Sabah and Sarawak would start in January.
He said heavy rain and flooding in coastal areas were not so much of a concern compared with the interior.
“If it hits rural areas first, such as Gua Musang (Kelantan), Jerantut and Kuala Lipis (Pahang), it will slowly make its way to towns.
“That is why we need to monitor which areas the rain hits first because it will later determine the flooding situation.”
The authorities want to prevent floods of the scale of the 2014 disaster that affected more than 200,000 people and left 21 dead.
In December 2014, floodwaters forced more than 24,000 people in Kelantan and 21,000 people in Terengganu to flee their homes.
In Pahang, state Fire and Rescue Department director Nor Hisham Mohammed said the department was monitoring weather conditions this month and next month to predict how heavily the east coast states would be hit in the monsoon season.
He said with just three months left till the end of the year, rainfall had reached only 40 per cent up to August for Pahang.
Pahang’s annual rainfall totals 2,000mm to 2,500mm on average, he said.
“We are worried that if the rain does not spread out in September and October, it will lead to intense weather during the monsoon season.
“We will be very concerned if the rain falls for three days non-stop, such as what happened in Kuala Krai in 2014.
“The intense rain for three days brought what was equivalent to 60 days of rainwater.”
In 2014, Pahang was also badly hit, with more than 10,000 people becoming flood victims.
The worst-hit areas were Kuantan, Maran, Jerantut, Lipis and Pekan.
The floods left dozens of foreign tourists stranded in Taman Negara, with the authorities having to rescue them via boats and helicopters.
Meanwhile, Nor Hisham said it was vital for the rain to fall regularly in the next few weeks, at least once in two days.
“We hope the rainfall will be regular until October, once in two days at least, so that we can prepare for what is to come.
“We will be worried if there is no rain at all in these two months as the downpours in November will be too great, leading to extreme flooding.”
Nor Hisham said in terms of logistics and equipment, the department was at its highest level of preparedness.
He said the department focused on educating the public on safety during water activities as school holidays and the monsoon season would coincide.
He said the department would organise a community outreach programme in Teluk Cempedak on Oct 19 to educate the public on water safety.
“Red flags are usually hung at beaches as warning signs against swimming or playing in the water at the beach. But many ignore it,” he said, urging the public to be more aware of the dangers of strong currents.