Hot and bothered
By Joseph Loh
Sunday February 28, 2010
"WAH! It’s really hot this Chinese New Year!" This has to be the most commonly used – and heard – sentence among Malaysians as they visited their Chinese friends and relatives over the lunar new year.
The proof is everywhere: people on the street are walking around with umbrellas and shopping malls are crowded with people trying to escape the stifling heat.
Padi fields and plantations are drying out and air-conditioning units are working overtime: the last is said to be responsible for an all-time record in the usage of electricity. Tenaga Nasional Bhd registered a demand of 14,417MW on Feb 11, when the average over the past two years was 13,501MW – almost a 7% increase!
Truth be told, there is substance to the belief that the hottest part of the year is during Chinese New Year.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department director-general Dr Yap Kok Seng confirms this fact.
"The driest and hottest period over the northwestern states of peninsular Malaysia, such as Perlis and the northern region of Perak, are the months of January to March, which happens to coincide with the Chinese New Year period.
"However, during the El Nino years, this hot and dry period can be longer," says Dr Yap.
As 2010 is an El Nino year, be ready for more heat. It might be a good idea to stock up on the sunblock lotion. In the meantime, here are some statistics for extreme heat situations officially recorded in Malaysia.
Lowest temperature ever recorded in Malaysia:
Cameron Highlands (1471.6m above mean sea level) 7.8°C Feb 1, 1978
-- The Star News
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