BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

BRUNEI will continue to stay dry and warm with hotter than normal temperatures over the next few days.

According to a statement released by the Brunei Darussalam Meteorological Department (BDMD) yesterday, the maximum temperature of Brunei will hover between 32 to 33 degrees Celsius from today until Tuesday.

The Sultanate recorded a temperature of 34.6 degrees Celsius yesterday, the highest since March 2015.

BDMD Duty forecaster Nurulinani Hj Jahari said rainfall is still expected around the country, but at a lower amount than typically expected.

The latest seasonal forecasts issued by international research centres for climate have found strong evidence that the El Nino phenomenon has been present in Brunei since August 2014 and that it peaked during March 2015.

El Nino is a weather phenomenon which triggers many changes in weather in places. This includes rains in areas that are usually dry. It also results in drier conditions in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific Ocean.

World Climate Centre predicted a 50-60 per cent chance that El Nino conditions will continue to persist through the Northern Hemisphere summer 2015 which falls sometime between June and August 2015, said the statement.

The statement added that other associated impacts expected to occur in the Sultanate due to the stable and dry weather conditions are hot weather conditions with maximum air temperature that may exceed 34 degrees Celsius.

There is also a chance of increased mist and fog during early mornings which may result in reduced horizontal visibility and an increase in forest fires and haze.

According to the Fire and Rescue Department, a total of 169 reports on fire-related incidents were recorded from January to March 22.

A statement released by the department revealed that 103 bushfires and 66 forest fires had occurred during the dry season.

“This happens due to the subsidence of air that results in stable weather condition, and therefore suppresses the formation of convective clouds,” the statement said.

“This condition leads to a reduction in precipitating clouds over the areas, contributing to much drier weather,” it added.

The Brunei Times