Here's some news you're not going to like: Singapore might soon experience more hazy conditions.
Hotspots in Sumatra increase haze risk in Singapore
An increase in hotspot activity has been observed in Sumatra, Indonesia over the past few days, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) in a Facebook post.
Smoke plumes have also been emanating from some of them.
Smoke plumes from hot spots in Sumatra blown towards the northwest. Image via NEA.
28 hotspots were detected on Sep. 2, and 23 hotspots were detected yesterday (Sep. 3), with most of them found in southern Sumatra.
Several stations in western Borneo, central and southern Sumatra are reporting unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality, according to NEA haze website.
The smoke plumes are "still some distance away from Singapore", NEA stated in their Facebook post, and have not drifted directly to Singapore under prevailing winds blowing from the southeast.
Southern and central Sumatra will likely see the current dry weather persisting in the coming week.
This may escalate the hotspot and smoke haze situation there, and lead to a risk of hazy conditions affecting Singapore.
NEA added that it is monitoring the situation closely.
How to check air quality
Members of the public can check the air quality in different parts of Singapore on the NEA website.
As of 10am on Sep. 4, the 24h Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) value across Singapore was 43 to 72.
This is in the Good to Moderate range.
Air quality is considered unhealthy if the PSI value crosses 100.
You may also refer to the website for health advisories on outdoor activities during haze.
For healthy persons, strenuous outdoor activities should be reduced if the 24h PSI level is higher than 100, or if the 1h PM2.5 level is higher than 55µg/m3.
Here's the 1h PM2.5 level as of 10am on Sep. 4:
Earlier this year in May, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) reported that El Niño conditions are forecast to develop in the second half of 2023.
From June to October 2023, warmer and drier conditions are expected in Singapore and the surrounding region.
This will increase the risk of transboundary haze affecting Singapore and the region.
In the first half of September, less rain is also expected in Singapore as the monsoon rain band is forecast to be mainly confined over the northern Southeast Asia region.
Top images via Wikimedia Commons/Wolcott for illustrative purposes and haze.gov.sg.