Everyone who is going on vacation to this exotic country is primarily interested in the climate in Singapore. This condition is often determining when choosing a vacation spot.
Singapore is located near the equator and has a typically tropical climate with heavy rainfall, high and uniform temperatures and high humidity all year round. Many of its climate variables vary significantly from month to month. However, other variables show noticeable daily (or daily) changes, indicating a strong influence of solar heat on the local climate.
Geography
Singapore is located between Malaysia and Indonesia, its total area of 722 square meters. km, the coastline is 193 km. It consists of one main island and several surrounding islets. Its territory is a hilly plateau with water pools and nature reserves. In the center are small hills, and along the coast are mangroves, especially common in the northern and western regions. The highest point in Singapore is Bukit Timah Hill, 166 m high, which is located in the central part of the island. The length of the main island is 47 km from east to west and 28 km from north to south. This location explains the subequatorial climate in Singapore.
Geographically, there are three main regions. The central hilly region has granite deposits (Bukit-Timakh, Bukit-Batok, Bukit-Panjang and Bukit-Mandai). The western and southwestern parts of the island consist of sedimentary rocks that form narrow ridges (Mount Faber and Pasir Panjang). The eastern part of Singapore is mostly flat and sandy (from Katong to Bedok and Changi). There is less rainfall in the eastern part than in the western. The narrow river Singapore flows through the Central region and flows into the Strait of Singapore.
Over the years, Singapore's landscape has changed due to urbanization. The hilly central region was leveled, mangrove swamps merged and covered, and the islands were enlarged. The three main reservoirs and their catchment area is what remains of the rain forests and occupies the central part of the city-state.
Geographical location affects the type of climate in Singapore. Since the island is within 15 meters above sea level, its climate depends on the sea and its geographical location. Singapore does not face the danger of earthquakes, volcanoes or typhoons. Nevertheless, there in some regions flash floods occur with an excess of rainfall.
Seasons
The climate in Singapore is characterized by two monsoon seasons, separated by off-season periods. The northeast monsoon is from December to early March, and the southwest monsoon is from June to September. The main weather systems that affect the climate in Singapore and can lead to heavy rainfall are:
- strong winds during the northeast monsoon, causing significant precipitation;
- squally winds forming a line of thunderstorms that arise over the island of Sumatra or the Strait of Malacca and moving east to Singapore;
- evening thunderstorms caused by severe heating of the surface and circulation of the sea breeze.
Temperature
The temperature regime here is quite uniform, since the difference between the cold and warm months is only a few degrees. This creates favorable conditions for relaxation. If we consider the climate of Singapore by months, it should be noted that the minimum temperature is from 23 ° C in December and January to 25 ° C in May and June, while the maximum temperature ranges from 30 ° C in December and January to 32 ° C in April and May.
Even daily values are close to average values: at night the temperature almost never drops below 20 ° C, while during the day it rarely rises above 33-34 ° C.
However, a constant high level of humidity makes the weather annoying, since relative humidity infrequently drops below 70% even in the warmest hours. If we add to this the conditions characteristic of large cities, where the heat lingers between streets and buildings even at night, we can understand why the climate of Singapore is not very pleasant for those who are not used to it. Sea breezes can slightly alleviate the situation in the harbor area and in the vicinity along the coast, and, except for breezes, the wind can only be in January, February and March, that is, in the second half of the northeast monsoon.
Rainfall
About 2400 millimeters of precipitation falls during the year. The peak falls on November, January and December, at which time about 250 mm per month falls, and in the rest of the year - from 150 to 200 mm of precipitation per month.
From November to January it rains more often and longer, and usually it happens in the afternoon or in the evening. On the other hand, the southwest monsoon is a period of the so-called Sumatran squalls, sometimes bringing thunderstorms, accompanied by gusts of wind. Most often this happens in the hours before dawn or in the morning. In the absence of squally winds during this period, short thunderstorms can occur in the afternoon. In addition to thunderstorms, even clouds of smoke caused by forest fires may appear from the island of Sumatra during the southwest monsoon. However, even such weather does not interfere with rest: in the city there are many covered pedestrian paths made specifically to protect passers-by from the rain.
The sun
The climate in Singapore is such that there is not so much sunshine, since during most of the year on average it takes only 5 or 6 hours a day, despite the fact that the equator lasts 12 hours a year. The least sunny months are November and December with four hours of sunshine per day, and February is the sunniest, 6.5 hours are present in this month. Nevertheless, the equatorial sun is very strong, so tourists need to be careful even on cloudy days.
Sea temperature
Singapore is not quite suitable for beach tourism, but the sea here is warm throughout the year. From December to March, the water temperature is 28 ° C, in May and June - 30 ° C, in the remaining months - 29 ° C.
Tropical cyclones
Singapore is located at the equator, it must be protected from tropical cyclones (the so-called typhoons in the western part of the Pacific Ocean), but very rarely a cyclone can form at especially low latitudes. Sometimes, Singapore can be slightly affected by cyclones passing further north. The typhoon season lasts from May to December, but with a maximum of probability only in December, since the sea in this area is always warm, although theoretically tropical storms can occur at any time of the year.
Best time to visit
Although there is not much difference between the seasons, February is probably the best month to visit Singapore: it is the sunniest month, with an average of only 12 rainy days. November and December are colder months, but they are also the wettest: it rains almost every day. January and February in the second part of the “winter” monsoon are less rainy, at this time also a little windy. After a hot period that lasts from March to early June, July and August are also great for relaxation, and these months differ little from January and February.