Just when we were complaining about the constant rainy weather -- because it sure felt like it rained every single day in Malaysia last year -- we are now in the middle of a heat wave.

According to weather experts, this heat wave in the past week could largely be due to the tropical storm Pabuk.

In a report by The Star, Malaysian Meteorological Depart­ment (MetMalaysia) director-general Alui Bahari said the changes in the wind directions over the last few days could have brought the hot spell we're experiencing now.

He added that the tropical storm had moved from the South China Sea to the Bay of Bengal since the beginning of the year.

"The wind heading towards the storm caused a reduction in moisture and rain cloud formation in the interior and west of Peninsular Malaysia during that time," he said.

But for those residing in this area, don't worry! This heat wave is expected to last only temporarily and we'll soon be able to enjoy normal weather again.

Then again, what is normal weather in Malaysia? We'll never know.


These places may experience scorching heat this week, so be prepared, namely Kuala Lumpur, Alor Setar, Melaka, Batu Pahat, Kota Kinabalu and Bintulu, which could all hit between 32°C and 34°C.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s professor of Climatology and Oceano­­graphy Prof Dr Fredolin Tangang also agreed that Pabuk may have affected the current hot weather because most of the moisture was technically "blown" away.

"But the hot weather is mostly caused by changes in the atmospheric circulation over Peninsular Malaysia and the west Indian Ocean due to the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO)," he added.

What is MJO?

This is a phenomenon that occurs when there is no evaporative cooling hence the increase of surface air temperature, bringing about this hot spell.

At the moment, the MJO is reportedly in its seventh or eighth phase, which is causing the dry and hot weather conditions.


So, make sure you drink lots of water over the next few days, guys!