Malaysia issues Level 1 hot weather alert for 10 areas

Source: The Straits Times

PETALING JAYA - The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a Level 1 hot weather alert for 10 areas in the country on April 21.

In a short notice posted on its social media page, MetMalaysia said eight areas in the peninsular will be experiencing scorching hot weather.

The areas are Pendang and Baling in Kedah; Hulu Perak in Perak; Kuala Krai, Gua Musang, Tanah Merah and Pasir Mas in Kelantan; and Besut in Terengganu.

The other two are in Sabah (Kinabatangan) and Sarawak (Mukah) respectively.

According to MetMalaysia's website, a Level 1 warning is issued when temperatures at a location are between 35 deg C and 37 deg C for three consecutive days.

The El Nino weather phenomenon has brought hotter, drier weather over Malaysia and other South-east Asian countries due to changes in sea surface temperatures and surface winds over the Pacific Ocean.

Though the phenomenon has begun to weaken, it will continue to fuel above-average temperatures across the globe, the World Meteorological Organisation said on March 5.

Two people have died from heatstroke in Malaysia.

The first victim was a 22-year-old Malaysian man who died from heatstroke in Pahang on Feb 2, followed by a three-year-old child from Kelantan on April 1.

The hot weather has also resulted in bush fires, which have been recorded in the states of Selangor, Johor and Sarawak.

Malaysia's disaster management agency has said the fire and rescue department plans to focus on more than 650 hot spots nationwide to prevent more bush fires from breaking out.

The extreme weather is also affecting farmers in the region, as scorching temperatures and dwindling water supplies parched large swathes of farmland.

Padi farmers in the northern Malaysian state of Kedah face a heightened risk of water shortages and lower production yields. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK