PETALING JAYA, Sept 7 — The wet weather and flood situation in the country at this time is due to the country experiencing the tail end of the South-west Monsoon (break in the monsoon), Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Muhammad Helmi said.

He said this situation arises when there is a change in the wind direction towards the country, especially encouraging the formation of active clouds and causing humid weather conditions.

"Typically, during the South-west Monsoon, the weather is dry and hazy with the country facing minimum monthly rainfall of usually between 100 and 150 millimetres together with a stable atmosphere in areas around the equator.

"However, the squall line phenomenon which can occur during the Southwest Monsoon causes heavy rain and strong winds as well as lightning, namely in seaside areas in the Peninsula’s west coast and west of Sabah,” he said.

Muhammad Helmi said this after the launching ceremony of Shelf of Sustenance (SOS) MetMalaysia, which is a basic necessities assistance project for staff in need at its headquarters here, today.

However, he said that rainfall will decrease in the next few days.

In the meantime, he said the country is expected to experience strong winds and heavy rain in the afternoons and evenings in October during the monsoon’s transition phase, especially in the west coast states.

He advises the public to be vigilant at all times and take note of weather warnings in their respective places as there will normally be flash floods and uprooted trees during this time.

On expected floods in the east coast states of the Peninsula during the North-east Monsoon season, he said MetMalaysia could only predict the situation within one to two days before any weather phenomenon occurs. — Bernama