It looks like we Malaysians would have to brace ourselves for an extended rainy season.
We miss you, sunshine!
According to The Star, the rainy season is expected to last until the end of February.
A weather expert also said the La Nina phenomenon was likely to have contributed to the heavier rainfall.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Jailan Simon told the news portal that the northeast monsoon, which usually brings with it heavy rainfall, would last until March.
But fret not, because the weather in Peninsular Malaysia is currently improving and heavier rain is expected to fall mainly over in Sabah and Sarawak.
Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences senior research fellow Prof. Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah said Malaysia would normally see about six or seven cold surges during the northeast monsoon.
“Normally by February, Peninsular Malaysia will be in the drier season of the north-east monsoon,” Prof Datuk Dr Azizan said.
“But taking into account that we have La Nina this year, we tend to have more rainfall, which is about 10 per cent to 15 per cent more rain, ” he added.
La Nina is the periodic phenomenon of the cooling of sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.