No more Haze but blue skies here again in Kuala Lumpur

We are back to blue skies again here in Kuala Lumpur and probably the rest of the country. Spotted a plane across the blue sky this morning. It was going so fast, it even left a contrail after it.

Can you see the plane? Right there at 11 o'clock..

PSI readings look great too.

We are seeing haze again in Malaysia

Malacca shrouded in haze

The haze is back in the peninsula, on the west coast. This is the result of 46 hotspots in Sumatra noted via satellite. This would mean that land-clearing and open burning activities have started paving the way for the planting season. The southwesterly winds are bringing the smog over to Peninsula Malaysia primarily on the west coast. Read more..Haze is back on the west coast

Image source: The Star

Penang freak storm havoc

A rare occasion of strong waves of 3.5metres high hitting the west coast of Penang island and Kedah on the mainland occured on Tuesday.

Two days later, yesterday, a freak thunderstorm created havoc on the island uprooting trees and causing gridlock on major roads including jamming up the Penang Bridge. Fishermen were advised to stay onland with wind going at speeds of 40 to 50km and hour.

More on Penang storm havoc Thursday

Flash floods wreaked havoc in Kuala Lumpur yesterday

Malaysia, not having any active volcano on her soil, does not go through the experience of any volcanic activity. However, visitors to Kuala Lumpur must have had an unpleasant experience yesterday if they happened to be in parts of KL that were affected by flash floods after a thunderstorm in the evening.

Nothing to be proud of, these floods in the city centre, but we could do better, of course. A couple of pictures here on the flash floods in KL to expand on the story.

Weather is not expected to improve today according to the Met department.

Still, enjoy your visit with us! Welcome to Malaysia, Truly Asia!

Kuala Lumpur is hazy today

It is a hazy day in Kuala Lumpur today. Smells like someone's having a huge barbecue party. Air quality looks pretty bad.

As I am writing this, it looks as though we are about to get some rain, which is just what the city needs to wash away the smog that is hovering overhead.

In the image above taken this morning, the Petronas Twin Towers are but a watermark against the sky.

Floods worsen in east coast states

If you plan on visiting the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia, best to avoid this time of the year. It is the monsoon season now causing floods to occur with the heavy rainfall.

The east coast states include Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang. Popular resort islands of Pulau Perhentian and Pulau Redang are also on the east coast (off Terengganu), so is Club Med which is in Pahang. Club Med is closed from end of September through February due to the monsoon.

The above picture from The Star shows motorists forcing their way through a flooded road in Kuantan on Tuesday. (NIK NAIZI HUSIN/Starpix)

The Star reported that:

The flood situation in Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang has worsened with more than 10,800 people evacuated to flood relief centres as of Tuesday evening from 6,000 in the morning.

In Terengganu, 5,297 victims are now housed in shelters while in the Kelantan, the number rose to 3,218 people, according the the official websites of their respective state governments.
More: The Star..Floods worsen in east coast states, 10,800 evacuated

Haze situation in Malaysia - June 17

Red balloon: A boy playing in the late after noon with the sun clearly seen as a red ball near Sungai Buloh on Friday - The Star.

Read about Haze situation in Kuala Lumpur/Malaysia - June 17

Haze is back in Malaysia

The haze is back over the city of Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas. Many parts of Peninsula Malaysia are also recording unhealthy air quality.

The picture you see here is one of Klang town, a town some 32km west of Kuala Lumpur. Currently, Kuala Lumpur is also shrouded in haze but on a clear day, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur would be a sight to behold.

More on The Haze is back in Kuala Lumpur - unhealthy air quality

Image source: The Star

Rare strong waves hit Penang, Kedah

Also read:
2013, June 14 - Penang freak storm havoc


It was reported that a rare occasion of strong waves with heights up to 3.5m hit the west coast of Penang and Kedah since 1pm Wednesday.

In Penang, not less than 11 houses in Kampung Tsunami Tanjung Bungah, here were reportedly inundated with sea water.

A man watches the waves at Esplanade in Penang - The Star

In Kedah, checks found that most of the fishermen in Kuala Kedah were unable to go to sea the last two days due to the phenomenon worried that the big waves would do damage to their boats.

According to Director of the Forecast Centre of the Meteorology Department, Muhammad Helmi Abdullah, he said the incident was a normal phenomenon and due to the shift of the northeast monsoon winds to southwest winds since May 4.

He said wind speed of up to 50 knots was expected to last until Friday.


Source: Rare strong waves hit Penang, Kedah

A Cool Vest can Help you Manage Heat Stress

Heat stress and heat exhaustion are a major concern in many areas of the world. In fact, heat can create very dangerous conditions, especially for people with medical conditions such as diabetes, eczema or asthma. When a person is affected by heat, physical conditions, such as the following can occur: sweating, moist and clammy skin, fatigue and weakness, nausea, increased body temperature, and headache as well as fainting and confusion; especially disorientation and even fever.

The good news is, heat stress and heat exhaustion can be managed and even prevented completely. The answer is simple: keep body temperature cool. How? This can be accomplished with lots of water, but especially convenient is a Cool Vest. The Friends of Water Store has a wide range of cool vests for both men and ladies. Unisex cool vests are also available.

Cool Vests keep you cool for hours; completely keeping you healthy and hydrated as well. Cool vests use evaporative cooling to keep you cool allowing you to go outside when you might not otherwise be able to, or stay outside longer than you would have otherwise. All you have to do to get the cool vest working is to simply soak the cool vest in cool water for a 10 to 30 seconds. Cool vests can be recharged fully in a flash, no matter where you are, as long as you have initial access to water.

At Friends of Water, you will find a wide selection of attractive women's cool vests. The vests are stylish, made of nice fabric, contoured in a complimentary manner and they come in a wide variety of fabric designs and a range of colors. There are high neck and open neck cool vests to choose from as well as vests adorned with studs and crystals. Some come with intricate designs, some are plain cool vests. There is a cool vest to suit every preference and budget. Cool vests for women come in different sizes, from XS to XL.

Other types of cool vests are also available including cycling cool vests and cool vest for other sports; ah, imagine how much better the sport. Further protection is possible with their cool vests with long sleeves and high neck design. Also available are reflective unisex cool vests. Other cooling wear that are available are cooling hats, cooling beanie, cooling scarves, cooling neck bands, cooling caps and more; all out at Friends of Water Store.

North-east Monsoon season is here again

The north-east monsoon season is here again this time of the year. Schools were out for the year last Friday, so final exams will not be affected. In fact, the government has moved final exams forward so as to avoid them being affected by the floods which usually happens in the north-eastern states of Kelantan and Terangganu.

The Met Department has issued a yellow alert for heavy rain and thunderstorms in Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang and Kedah. The yellow alert is the first of three warnings where a monsoonal surge is possible in the next 24 to 48 hours.

A first category warning was also issued of which strong winds and rough seas expected to occur over the waters off Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, East Johor, Sabah and Sarawak.

The department also warned that intermittent rain from today to Thursday may cause flooding in low-lying areas and also strong winds and flash floods.

Strong northeasterly winds of 40 to 50 kph with waves of up to 3.5m were expected over the waters off Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, East Johor, Sarawak, Labuan, Sabah (Interior, West Coast and Kudat), Samui, Condore, Reef North, Layang-Layang, Tioman, Bunguran, Reef South and Palawan until Nov 29. These strong winds and rough seas are dangerous to small craft and recreational sea activities. Source: The Star..Weatherman issues monsoonal surge alert for four states

In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, heavy rains have triggered landslip and flooding.

Moderate air over Kuching, Sarawak

The normally dry weather at this time of the year coupled with transboundary haze have reduced visibility in Kuching City to under 8km. The Environment Department said the API reading recorded a moderate 96 at 11am Friday. - The Star

Enjoy chilly outdoors with an Outdoor fire pit

In our tropical climate, fire pits outdoors may not be needed but there are certain places in Malaysia that these fire pits would come in useful. In elevated places including Cameron Highlands, Frasers Hill and Genting Highlands, an outdoor fire pit could turn the chilly outdoors into a warm and enjoyable atmosphere.

Looking for an outdoor fire pit for your home? Choices abound. If log fire pits are not preferred, a propane fire pit may be the answer. How about a nifty table-top LP gas fire pit that is portable and lightweight and with an extension hose for easy relocation?.

Fire Pits Park is a specialized retailer of outdoor fire pits. They carry a wide selection of fire pits, outdoor fire places, chimineas (free-standing fireplaces) and patio heaters. There is a whole range of different types of fire pits from European torch heaters, outdoor fire pits, to chimineas and fire places from the best fire pits makers in the world. Choose from their bronze, steel, cast iron and copper fire pits and chimineas. No matter your choice of fire pits, it will bring joyful warmth to your home and your life.

Tropical storm Nock-Ten causes havoc

The Star reported of storms killing over 50 in the Philippines and S. Korea, rain expected here. Nock-Ten named after a Laotian bird, is expected to cause more damage in the northern areas of Luzon island while bringing heavy rain to Manila. At least 25 people died and as many as 31 others went missing as a slow-moving tropical storm dumped enormous amounts of rain across the Philippines main island.

The image below shows cars stranded on a submerged street in Seoul as 400mm of rainfall pounded Seoul yesterday. At least 28 people were killed.

However in Malaysia, Nock-Ten is expected to bring rain and strong winds to northern Sabah, Pahang and Selangor over the next two days. The MET assured the public no need to panic over the tropical storm as Malaysia would only experience its indirect effects.
More on Storms kill over 50 in the Philippines and S. Korea, rain expected here

Related article:
Tropical storm Nock-Ten expected to hit three states over next two days


Image source: The Star

The haze is back in Malaysia

The haze is back. Today, major parts of the country were shrouded in haze as a result of fires in Sumatra and Borneo.

According to The Star, satellite images showed 217 hotpots in Sumatra yesterday and over 300 in Borneo and 13 in the peninsula as of 6am this morning.

Petaling Jaya recorded a poor visibility level of 2.5km as of 4pm this afternoon while Sepang and Kuantan had a visibility of 1.5km and 4km respectively.

Normal visibility levels should be more than 10km.

Moderate air quality readings for 36 areas or 73% were recorded by the Department of Environment while the remaining areas were still within the healthy API reading of between 0 to 50 as of 11am this morning.

API at various parts of the country as reported by The Star:

As of 5pm yesterday, Bukit Rambai in Malacca recorded the worst air quality reading at 83, followed by Nilai in Negri Sembilan at 80. Nine areas recorded readings of above 70 including Shah Alam (79) and Port Klang (77) while Petaling Jaya had an API of 67.

The API for Sabah and Sarawak varied between 24 and 68.

Visibility levels dropped for several hours to 2km in some areas, including Petaling Jaya however levels improved in most areas by 8pm including Sepang (KLIA) which went from 1.5km at 4pm to 9km by 8pm.

However, levels still remained poor for Petaling Jaya (6km), Sitiawan (3km), Kuantan (6km) and Kuala Terengganu (6km) as of 8pm.

Dry conditions are expected to persist until September due to the southwest monsoon although showers have been forecasted in the west coast and isolated thunderstorms in the east coast later in the week. In East Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak are expected to be fair today with showers in Limbang, Miri, Sandakan and the interiors of Sabah and Tawau. Though it could be a health hazard, the haze is a normal occurrence at this time of the year due to the dry weather conditions.

Patients with diseases associated with breathing problems are advised to take extra precautions during the haze period, doctors advised to Shield yourself against the haze..


Source: The Star


Related article:
Malaysia in haze

The Monsoon has started

If you are visiting the northern and north-eastern states or Peninsula Malaysia, you may want to take note of severe weather. Flash floods, thunderstorms, rough seas and strong winds of up to 60kph were expected to hit the northern part of the peninsula over the next few days, especially the coastal areas. The monsoon season has started.

The Meteorological Department (MMD) has issued a yellow stage warning, adding that heavy rain and thunderstorms with windy conditions were expected to occur over Kelantan and Terengganu beginning today. A yellow stage warning, the first of three warning levels, denotes a possibility of a monsoonal surge in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Coastal areas of east Johor, Kuching and Sarikei are vulnerable to sea level rise due to strong winds and battering waves. Flash floods are likely to occur in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur over low-lying areas affected by the city’s drainage system.

On Thursday, a mini twister swept through Mata Air, Jejawi, Perlis. Roofs were blown off while signboards were uprooted and houses damaged during the incident. A van was also overturned.

Source: The Star

Strong Winds and High Waves Up North

If you are in the northern states of Perlis and Kedah, and Penang, you may want to avoid recreational sea activities these few days. Read the article from The Star below:

Strong winds with waves up to 3.5m are expected to occur over waters off Perlis, Kedah and Penang from Saturday until Tuesday.

State Health, Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the state Meteorological Department issued an alert that the high waves would be caused by the strong northwesterly winds at the speed of 40 - 50kmph.

“The condition of the strong winds and rough seas will be dangerous to small boats.

“The public should also avoid recreational sea activities and any sea sports during these three days,” he said.