April saw highest temperature recorded in Singapore since 1983

36.8 deg C in Admiralty is 2nd-highest here; experts say country not in grips of heatwave

- Ang Qing

Weeks of sweltering heat in Singapore saw the mercury race past 34 deg C several times in the past six weeks, and hit the second-highest temperature on record last month.

On April 1, it peaked at 36.8 deg C in Admiralty, just 0.2 deg C shy of the all-time high recorded in Tengah on April 17, 1983.

Weather experts said the Republic is not in the grips of a heatwave, adding that the temperatures seen are also not outside the norm.

But it will get hotter for Singapore and the rest of the world, with climate change making its presence felt.

Typically, the months of April and May are warmer for the country owing to inter-monsoon conditions, which are characterised by strong heating from the sun and light variable winds, said the National Environment Agency’s Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS).

This week, the mercury hit 35.6 deg C in Paya Lebar and Marina Barrage between 2pm and 3pm on Tuesday, it said.