MetMalaysia forecasts no major floods in Kelantan this year

KOTA BHARU: The Malaysian Meteorology Department (MetMalaysia) has forecasted no major flood occurrences in Kelantan or other states this year.

Its director-general Jailan Simon said the heavy rains and thunderstorms in several areas which resulted in some flooding, such as in Sabah recently, were caused by a relatively weak La Nina phenomenon during the monsoon transition phase.

According to Jailan, a weak La Nina would not have a significant impact on the country, and based on records, the department is not expecting any extreme incident or major flooding to occur this time around.

“The major floods in 2014 happened during a weak El Nino phenomenon, the same goes for the floods in 2007 in Johor. As such, with La Nina, the (weather) conditions will be normal except in the early stages, there will be a lot of rain.

“In fact, according to seasonal medium-term forecasts issued by climate centres around the world, and based on MetMalaysia’s observations, as of now, there are no indications of extraordinary humid conditions occurring at end of the year,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.

He explained that the transition from the Southwest Monsoon to the Northeast Monsoon, which began on Sept 23 and expected to end early November, could cause heavy rains and thunderstorms, especially in the evenings.

“Sometimes it can also cause flash floods in the west coast states and interiors in the Peninsula, as well as Sabah’s west coast and interiors,” he said, adding that Sarawak normally experienced floods in January or February.

Jailan said, however, the department still advised the public to remain prepared for any eventualities.

“Keep precious items and important documents in a safe place to prevent them from getting damaged in case of a flood,” he said.

-- BERNAMA