It was warm on most days in March 2020, so much so the third month of this year registered the hottest day temperature yet.

As a sign of things to come this April 2020, March was hot.

There were 27 days with daily maximum temperatures exceeding 34.0°C, and 10 days when the daily maximum temperature was more than 35.0°C.

The month’s highest daily maximum temperature of 36.3°C was recorded at Paya Lebar on March, 13, 2020, the highest recorded so far this year.

Worrying upward trend for month temperature

At the Changi climate station, the mean monthly temperature for March 2020 of 28.6°C was 1.1°C higher than the month’s long-term average.

The monthly mean minimum temperature for March 2020 was 25.9°C.

This was 1.3°C higher than the March long-term average and is the third highest mean minimum temperature recorded for March since 1929, after March 2016 (26.6°C) and March 1998 (26.3°C).

During the month, the occasional intrusion of a dry air mass from the southern South China Sea over Singapore and the surrounding vicinity brought little or no rainfall over a two-week period.

Some rain

In the last week of March 2020, it was generally wet over most parts of the island.

This was due to the passage of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), which enhanced the development of thunderstorm clouds over Singapore and the surrounding region.

Most of the thundery showers in March 2020 fell in the afternoon due to large-scale wind convergence over the surrounding vicinity.

Thundery showers fell over many areas of the island on March 23.

The daily total rainfall recorded that day was 87.8mm at Pulau Ubin, which is the highest recorded for March 2020.

Singapore received below normal rainfall in March 2020.

The highest anomaly of 67 per cent below average was recorded at Seletar.

The lowest anomaly of 14 per cent below average was recorded at Sentosa.

All information is from the Meteorological Service Singapore.

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