Some dry and warm days with daily max temp reaching a high of around 35°C can still be expected. While more showers are forecast in the 2nd half of Mar 2019, well-below normal rainfall likely for the month.
Singapore, 15 March 2019 – The prevailing Northeast Monsoon conditions with low level winds blowing from the northeast or northwest are forecast to persist for the rest of March 2019. Around the end of the month, the low level winds are expected to weaken and become light and variable in direction, signalling the start of the inter-monsoon period in early April 2019.
2 The warm conditions that have prevailed over Singapore in the first fortnight of March 2019 are forecast to persist for another week. Some relief from the scorching heat can be expected in the last week of the month when the monsoon rain band shifts northward to lie over Singapore and the surrounding equatorial region. This will bring localised short-duration moderate to heavy thundery showers on most days in the afternoon. On a few days that week, the thundery showers could extend into the evening. In addition, on one or two mornings in the last week of the month, widespread thundery showers with occasional gusty winds from Sumatra squalls can be expected. While more rainfall is expected in the second fortnight, the total rainfall for March 2019 is still likely to be well-below normal. This follows two previous months of significantly below normal rainfall in January and February 2019.
3 The second half of March 2019 is expected to be warm on most days, with the daily temperature ranging between 24°C and 34°C. On days when there is little or no rainfall, the daily maximum temperature could rise to around 35°C.
4 For updates of the daily weather forecast, please visit our MSS website (https://www.weather.gov.sg), NEA website (www.nea.gov.sg), or download the myENV app, or the MSS’ Weather@SG app.
REVIEW (1 – 14 March 2019)
5 In the first half of March 2019, Northeast Monson conditions prevailed, and most of Southeast Asia including Singapore experienced dry and warm conditions except for areas south of the Equator. Over Singapore and the surrounding region, the low level winds were blowing from the northwest or northeast.
6 It was drier and warmer than usual in Singapore in the first fortnight of March 2019 due to a mass of dry air from the Pacific Ocean that extended over the Southeast Asia region. On all days during the period, except on 6 March 2019, the daily maximum temperature recorded was at least 34°C. The highest daily maximum temperature of 35.7°C was recorded on 9 March 2019 at Choa Chu Kang, and the lowest daily minimum temperature was 21.5°C on 11 March 2019 at Admiralty.
7 While the first fortnight of the month was mostly warm and dry, there were some days where thundery showers fell over parts of island, and this brought a welcome relief from the prevailing warm conditions. On 11 March 2019, heavy thundery showers fell over many areas in the afternoon, arising from strong solar heating of land areas coupled with a brief return of the monsoon rain band over the equatorial region. The highest daily total rainfall of 94.6 mm recorded at Lim Chu Kang on that day is also the highest recorded for the year so far (as at 14 March 2019).
8 Singapore received well-below normal rainfall in the first half of March 2019. The highest rainfall of 92.2mm (4% below average) was recorded at Ang Mo Kio. Rainfall was lowest at Sentosa where 1.0mm (99% below average) was recorded.
CLIMATE STATION STATISTICS
Long-term Statistics for March
(Climatological reference period: 1981 – 2010)
| Average daily maximum temperature | 32.0 °C |
| Average daily minimum temperature | 24.6 °C |
| Average monthly temperature | 27.5 °C |
| Average rainfall | 170.3 mm |
| Average number of rain days | 13 |
Historical Extremes for March
(Rainfall since 1869 and temperature since 1929)
| Highest monthly mean daily maximum temperature: | 34.1 °C (1998) |
| Lowest monthly mean daily minimum temperature: | 22.1 °C (1934) |
| Highest monthly rainfall ever recorded: | 528.3mm (1913) |
| Lowest monthly rainfall ever recorded: | 6.2 mm (2016) |
