KUCHING: Hot and dry weather is expected throughout this week in Sarawak, according to the State Meteorological Department.
The department’s spokesperson said that some localised thunderstorms with rain are very likely to occur in the evening, particularly in central and northern part of the state though weather condition will vary day to day.
“For the past three days, Sarawak experienced less rainfall in most places and hot weather – where daily maximum temperature has reached 35.6 degree Celcius (as recorded in Mulu weather station).
“In addition, we are still in the midst of Southwest monsoon that will last until mid-September. Based on the hotspot monitoring report (up to Sept 1), Sarawak had only one hotspot while six hotspots were detected in Kalimantan,” the spokesperson said in an email to The Borneo Post.
With regards to the haze that hit Sarawak since last month, he remarked it could easily happen if hot and dry weather last for at least three consecutive days, given the vast area of hotspots detected in the state or nearby regions.
“Only heavy downpour will help improve the visibility and air quality, “ he added.
Data released by Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) on Sept 1 revealed moderate to dense smoke haze from hotspots in southern parts of Kalimantan.
“Wind is forecasted to blow from the southeast or southwest. Hotspot activities in the region are likely to persist,” according to ASMC.
Meanwhile, the Air Pollutant Index (API) at most stations in Sarawak recorded moderate readings yesterday evening.
According to data released by Department of Environment through MyIPU app, as of 5pm yesterday the highest API reading was recorded in Miri Industrial Training Institute station at 80.
Miri station recorded API of 79, Sri Aman (77), Samarahan (68), Kuching (65), Bintulu (62) and Kapit station recorded good API reading (48).