National water agency PUB issued urgent advisories to motorists on the afternoon of Nov 10, urging them to avoid several locations across central and western Singapore due to the risk of flash floods.
One specific incident occurred at the junction of West Coast Road and West Coast Way, near the Japanese Kindergarten, where a flash flood was reported. According to the PUB, flood waters at this location had subsided by 3pm.
Throughout the afternoon, the agency utilized social media to alert drivers to potential flooding risks in multiple areas, advising them to steer clear of the following locations for approximately one hour each:
Risk of Flash Floods Due to heavy rain, please avoid this location for the next 1 hour: West Coast Way [14:25 hours]
- West Coast Way
- Mackenzie Road, near Bukit Timah Road
- The junction of Balmoral Road and Stevens Road
- Bencoolen Street
The agency first posted on X at 2:27pm regarding West Coast Way, followed by a 2:35pm alert for the West Coast Road junction. Additional warnings followed for Mackenzie Road starting at 2:52pm, the Balmoral and Stevens Road junction at 2:55pm, and Bencoolen Street at 3pm.
These alerts were issued as the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) tracked moderate to heavy rain clouds gathering over the south and south-western parts of the island. The MSS had previously warned that heavy thundery showers were expected across many areas between 3pm and 4pm on Nov 10.
The recent flash flood risks align with the latest weather outlook provided by the Meteorological Service Singapore on Oct 29. The agency’s fortnightly forecast indicated that moderate to heavy thundery showers are expected over parts of the island on most afternoons during the first half of November.
The weatherman noted that these showers may extend into the evening on some days, with total rainfall for the first two weeks of the month forecast to be slightly above the long-term average for most parts of Singapore.
The period has seen varied meteorological phenomena. On Nov 6, a condo resident spotted a funnel cloud along the coastline in Tanjong Katong at 7:40am. It’s always a thrill to see one live,
said the resident, known as Stomper Andre. The MSS explained that such clouds form beneath cumulonimbus structures as moist air feeds into an intensifying storm, creating a rotating wind column.
While the Nov 10 flooding impacted central and western regions, earlier in the same week, PUB had also issued flash flood warnings for northern areas, including Punggol Way and Riverside Road. These conditions follow the onset of the inter-monsoon period, which has brought light, variable winds and concluded the year’s haze season.
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