Heavy Rainfall Flooded Singapore

Heavy rain fell across Singapore early on Jan. 8, causing flash floods in at least nine areas in the eastern part of the island, which stranded cars and stopped traffic. The National Water Agency attributed the floods to intense rainfall from the prevailing northeast monsoon, Straitstimes.com reported. The rain was exacerbated by a Sumatra squall—lines of thunderstorms characterized by a sudden onset of strong gusty surface winds and heavy rain lasting one to two hours—that developed over the Strait of Malacca and moved eastwards, affecting Singapore. Within just four hours, 118.8 mm of rain were recorded at the Kim Chuan Road rain gauge. That amount is about half of Singapore's average monthly rainfall in January. There are ongoing drainage improvement works to improve flood protection in the nine areas that were flooded.