The sudden flash floods took Malaysians by surprise as it seemingly came without a warning.

While Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man tried to explain the phenomenon by saying that the flash floods were caused by unusual heavy rain (d'uh!), the real experts have come out to provide an explanation.

High concentration of winds

Director-General of the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), Muhammad Helmi Abdullah, told New Straits Times that the concentration of winds was the main culprit behind the thunderstorm incident in the Klang Valley on Monday.

The high concentration of winds resulted in the formation of intensive thunderstorm clouds, he said.

"The wind concentration factor that contributes to the formation of active clouds is a common weather event experienced by our country.

"High-intensity thunderstorms in a short period can be the cause of flash floods," he was quoted as saying.

Image credit: New Straits Times

Helmi said the heavy downpour, which started at 4pm and lasted until 6pm, brought water levels exceeding 20 millimetres/hour during that period.

As a result, the rainfall overwhelmed the city's existing drainage system, which was unable to contain the high water flow capacity.

With MetMalaysia predicting more rain in the coming days, always remember to stay safe on the roads, OK?