Unusually heavy rains caused by changing Artic wind patterns - Expert

SHAH ALAM - The phenomenon of unusually heavy rains that are hitting the country causing floods and landslides is influenced by the changing Arctic wind patterns caused by global warming today.

National Antarctic Research Centre Meteorologist Professor Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah said that the change saw some low-risk areas now facing a bad situation.

He said the wind speed of the Northeast Monsoon has also changed from 20 kilometres (km) per hour, now getting stronger until it hit more than 30km per hour around the South China Sea.

"The El Nino phenomena this time is different and we saw that back in 2021 where areas like Selangor and surrounding areas experienced severe flooding.

"At that time, we experienced the phenomenon of La Nina. So, the total frequency of rain is around 15 to 10 per cent. This time, the number is more than 15 per cent.

"The occurrence of global warming is also one of the causes of continuous rain occurring in the wake of cold winds, which is called the Arctic warming phenomenon, causing the air pressure to become high.

"This shows that the Arctic is not as cold as it used to be because there is air circulation moving around this area (Arctic), now it has moved to several areas. We are also affected by it," he told Sinar on Sunday.

Heavy rain on Saturday afternoon caused several areas in Section 7 and i-City, here to be flooded.

Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) had said that among the affected routes were Persiaran Kayangan, Section 9 and Persiaran Sukan, Section 13.

In addition, a total of nine residences in Taman Wawasan, Puchong were ordered to be evacuated following landslides in the area.

Azizan added that the frequency of rain also caused landslides which affected the condition of the roads in the area.

"If it rains often, it can cause landslides because the rain doesn't stop. The risk of landslides does exist," he explained.