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Singapore has a
tropical rainforest climate with almost no seasonal variation. It is always
hot; it is always humid; it rains a lot. Need I say more? Not really.
Daily
high temperatures hover perpetually around 30°C, while
night time lows rarely stray far from 23°C. High humidity makes this as
uncomfortable as it sounds; tropical conditions take some time to acclimatise
to. It is not particularly sunny in Singapore
due to regular rainfall and regular hazy conditions caused by pollution and
smoke from forest fires being blown over from Indonesia.
However, it is important to remember that whatever the sky looks like, the UV
index is very high and the risk of sunburn is high; high factor sun block
should be applied before venturing outdoors.
The country is subject to two monsoon seasons, with intermediate
pre-monsoon periods of slightly reduced rainfall. High rain levels are
responsible for the lush rainforest that still occupies a small but not
insignificant chunk of the island. Urban areas channel these huge volumes of
water into humungous monsoon drains. Rainfall is not a mere irritation in the Singapore; it
is a major event. Rain falls in thick sheets from a black sky, obliterating
visibility and flooding walkways. While intelligent urban design allows the
country to function incredibly efficiently during storms, nothing can help
pedestrian caught without an umbrella, soaked in seconds, running blindly
towards the nearest form of shelter – usually a harshly air-conditioned
shopping mall – later to write home about hypothermia in the tropics.
Pre-Southwest
Monsoon Season – March till May
Rainfall
is usually limited to heavy early evening showers or thunderstorms. The end of
this season is considered a good time to visit due to slightly reduced rainfall
and humidity. Winds are not very strong.
Southwest
Monsoon Season – June till September
Early
on in this season is considered the best time to visit Singapore as it
is infinitesimally drier than at other times of year. Rain is usually blown in
on southwest or southeast winds as it approaches midday. The wind is often very
strong in the mornings. Haze is most likely at this time of year.
Pre-Northeast
Monsoon Season – October and November
A
cool sea breeze helps to temper the afternoon heat, often followed by storms
into the evening. Winds are generally reduced.
Northeast
Monsoon Season – December till March
Strong
winds from the northeast bring the heaviest of the year’s rain. Mornings are
often clear but cloudy conditions prevail most of the time and the rain can be
relentless, lasting for days without a break. The winds can become very violent
and are at their worst in January and February.
The
lack of change in Singapore’s
weather conditions from season to season is due its latitudinal position; the
country is almost bang on the equator. It is also the smallest country in Southeast
Asia, an island surrounded by water which also helps to moderate the
temperature at all times. Most of Singapore is quite low-lying which
makes it even more susceptible to maritime effects. Bukit Timah, the highest
hill in Singapore
at 164 m, sits in the northwest of the main island, which is generally quite
hilly while the eastern areas are mostly flat. As a result there is some
regional variation in Singapore’s
weather; western regions are wetter and than eastern regions due to the rain
shadow of the hills. Singapore
City is located on the
island’s south coast, right in the middle, and is afforded some of the hills’
protection.
While
the country is often wet and unpredictable, outside of the northeast monsoon
season storms are usually brief. Whatever anyone says about Singapore’s
cultural delights or natural beauty, the tiny economic powerhouse is a place
for shopping and eating, and the weather is unlikely to hinder these
activities. As stated above, the efficiency of Singapore’s infrastructure is such
that normal life can continue almost unhindered in the heavy rains; most
visitors will stick to the brilliant MRT train system for getting around and
these are unaffected. Traffic jams often occur, but this is a result of it
being an over-crowded city, simply exacerbated by difficult driving conditions.
Storms offer a relief from the heat and can even be a source of excitement. Singapore is not the place for a beach holiday,
as its beaches are not comparable to those of nearby Thailand
or Malaysia’s east coast islands, and so the regular, but
not constant, interruption of blue skies by clouds and haze is forgivable. A
beautifully landscaped pool is a more usual destination for tranquillity than East Coast Beach, the most popular local beach.
Singapore is
growing physically as well as economically, slowly reclaiming land from the sea
that surrounds it. It should be pointed out that Sentosa, advertised as
tropical paradise, is manmade and, while heavily planted with native plants,
still feels highly artificial. Sentosa is a fantastic place for young children
as the range of activities on offer are sure to appeal to their imaginations,
but adults are likely to cringe. The city itself is a modern, cosmopolitan
area, well-designed and very clean. Singapore has made great strides over the
last fifty years to become the city it is today, though the success story does
not include every part of Singaporean society; it has been suggested that the
Singaporean government is just as efficient at hiding problems as it is at solving
them. This is unlikely to affect your visit; it is very hard to scratch beneath
the surface of Singapore.
The
roti canai is better in Malaysia.
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