KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 (Reuters) – Malaysia is expected to see record high temperatures next year as El Niño strengthens, its meteorological department told Reuters.
The El Niño phenomenon is a natural part of the weather cycle, characterised by weakening trade winds and warmer sea currents in the Pacific Ocean. Climate experts have warned of a strong or super-strong El Niño this year, raising risks of severe weather such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves.
Malaysia Meteorological Department Director-General Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said the agency forecasts El Niño to peak between March and May 2027, with maximum temperatures expected to exceed the local record of 40.1 degrees Celsius (104.2 degrees Fahrenheit) set in 1998 in Chuping, in the northern state of Perlis.
Malaysia has seen average temperatures climb since the 1980s, with the highest peaks often recorded during “super” El Niño events, he said in an interview.
“So based on this data, we can expect it’s going to be another big spike,” Mohd Hisham said, adding that global warming contributed to the rising heat.
The department expects much lower rainfall and higher temperatures across the country, particularly in northern areas of the Malaysian peninsula, as well as in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia’s largest palm oil producing states on Borneo island, he said.
Some of El Niño’s strongest effects have traditionally been seen in Sabah, due to its proximity to the Pacific, he added.
(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by David Stanway)
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