According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), this armpit-wetting weather is expected to last all the way till April at least.

To make matters worse, the Department's report on the country’s weather outlook revealed that almost all states in the country will experience minimal rain during that period, with a couple of states expected to get less than 150mm of rain.

Those states are Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Putrajaya, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Johor, Melaka, Terengganu and Perlis.

In fact, five areas in the country have already been placed on heatwave alert: north Seberang Perai (Penang), Kuala Kangsar and Kinta (Perak), Sik (Kedah) and Alor Gajah (Melaka).

These areas, MetMalaysia reported, recorded a temperature of between 35 degrees Celcius to 37 degrees Celcius for three straight days.

Why is this happening?

The two dreaded words no one wants to hear: El Nino.

In the weather report, MetMalaysia stated that several international climate models predicted that there's a 65 per cent probability that the El Nino phenomenon will last until May.

If that's true, then that's bad news for us.

The El Nino phenomenon causes the sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean to rise, and when that happens, it brings the hot and dry weather to Malaysia.

What's going to happen next?

Take lots of cold showers, of course.

At the moment, MetMalaysia is keeping a close eye on the weather patterns, and should the heat wave escalate past Category 1, necessary actions will be taken to ensure that we Malaysians are safe.

In case you're wondering how these categories work, heat waves categorised under Category 1 are known as 'alert level', where the temperatures are between 35 degrees Celcius and 37 degrees Celcius for three days straight.

A level above that is Category 2, also known as the 'heat wave level'. For the government to declare a Category 2, the temperature must be over 37 degrees Celcius for three days straight.

When this happens, the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry has the power to declare a heat wave in that area, and relevant authorities can take necessary measures such as closing down schools.

When a Category 3 is declared, you know it's definitely bad news. Known as 'emergency level', the National Disaster Management Agency will be notified when the temperature hits above 40 degrees Celcius three days in a row.

The Prime Minister can then declare an emergency.

Be safe or be sorry

Although the heat is kind of manageable for now, it's of course better to be safe than sorry. Try minimising going outdoors and drink lots of water. Also remember to slap on some sunscreen before heading out.