Malaysia is expected to see record high temperatures next year as El Nino strengthens, its meteorological department has said.
The El Nino 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 Nino this year, raising risks of severe weather such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves.
Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip, director general of Malaysia’s Meteorological Department, said the agency forecast El Nino 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 had seen average temperatures climb since the 1980s, with the highest peaks often recorded during “super” El Nino events, Mohd Hisham said in an interview.
“So based on this data, we can expect it’s going to be another big spike,” he said, adding that global warming contributed to the rising heat.
The department expected much lower rainfall and higher temperatures across the country, he said, 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.
Some of El Nino’s strongest effects have traditionally been seen in Sabah due to its proximity to the Pacific, Mohd Hisham added.