KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Dec 2019:
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) today issued a yellow category weather warning alert on heavy rainfalls, in several districts in Johor, Pahang and Terengganu until tomorrow, and Sabah until Wednesday.
Heavy rainfall is expected over Segamat, Kluang, Mersing, Kulai and Kota Tinggi in Johor; Jerantut, Maran, Kuantan, Bera and Rompin in Pahang and Dungun and Kemaman in Terengganu.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall was forecast to hit Keningau, Tambunan, Ranau, Kota Belud, Sandakan and Kudat in Sabah until Wednesday.
The north-east monsoon rains have caused floods in nine out of 10 districts in Johor as well as two districts in Pahang.
As of 1pm today, 9,435 people from 2,258 families had been evacuated in Johor with the affected areas being Muar, Mersing, Kota Tinggi, Kluang, Segamat, Pontian, Batu Pahat, Johor Bahru and Kulai.
While in Pahang, as at noon, 1,055 people from 271 families had been evacuated in Rompin and 19 flood victims were evacuated in Temerloh.
Meanwhile, strong winds of 40-50kph with waves reaching 3.5m high are also forecast over the coastal areas of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and East Johor.
This can cause seawater to overflow into estuaries and coastal areas, the statement said.
Johor State Local Government, Urban Well-being and Environment Committee chairman Tan Chen Choon said: “Kluang has recorded the highest number of evacuees, followed by Kota Tinggi.”
Meanwhile, in SARAWAK, nine people were placed in a temporary evacuation centre at the Suarah hall, Marudi in Miri when their homes in Kampung Padang Kerbau were flooded due to heavy rain and high tide.
Elsewhere in MELAKA, flood situation has fully recovered and 13 people from three families in Alor Gajah were allowed to return home at 9am this morning.
Melaka disaster management committee secretariat chief Lt Col (PA) Effendy Ali said following the fine weather, the PPS at the Durian Tunggal Constituency Coordinating Committee (Japerun) complex, Bukit Balai, was closed.
Hence, it follows that Klang Valley weather now feel more like that of the Cameron Highlands or Genting Highlands where one will shiver at night without warm clothing whether indoors or outdoors.
Malaysians in the peninsula were greeted by a cold spell overnight and mist this morning, which hid the iconic Petronas Twin Towers here from being viewed with the naked eye.
The mist lasted up to about 10am and only dissipated as the day got warmer. Some might have wondered whether the haze was back because due to the overcast sky it look just like that.
Most areas were damp or drenched because it rained practically the whole day yesterday. It was also reported a basement parking lot of a popular shopping mall in Cheras here was inundated due to a flash flood last night.
Temperatures across the Klang Valley dipped to as low as 22°C, the lowest in months as the country is currently gripped by cold weather due to the northeast monsoon season, commonly known as winter monsoon.
MetMalaysia director-general Jailan Simon said this is a common phenomenon in Malaysia as monsoon winds – which form over the Siberian-Mongolian region – flow through via northern China across the South China Sea and the peninsula.
“Overcast skies and continuous rain is common during this period where the peninsula is concerned. It causes the temperature to drop and results in a higher humidity, which can lead to mists forming.”
He said the cold and rainy season will continue, possibly until early February.
Jailan also said continuous heavy rainfall for several days can result in floods in low-lying and flood-prone areas and that the risk of flooding may be worse if heavy rainfall coincides with high tide.
The monsoon season is expected to end in March next year.
For the record, the minimum temperature recorded in the Cameron Highlands overnight was 15 °C.
– Bernama