askST: How worrying is Singapore’s haze outlook, and how can you protect yourself?
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Firefighters battling a spreading peat fire in a residential district in Pengerang, Johor, in January. PHOTO: ST FILE | SINGAPORE – Dry conditions that have worsened fires in the region are expected to persist this week, raising the risk of haze over Singapore. On Aug 9, the Republic’s haze task force announced its readiness to roll out plans after the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) entered the moderate range in central Singapore in the afternoon. Following the recent warning of the possible return of hazy weather, The Straits Times looks at what residents need to know to protect themselves. How worrying is the recent haze outlook for Singapore?Singapore is among the southern South-east Asian countries at high risk of severe haze affecting the region for the rest of 2026. These conditions are expected to peak from August to September, according to think-tank Singapore Institute of International Affairs. This is due to unusually hot and dry weather, fuelled by an intensifying El Nino climate phenomenon. El Nino occurs when the atmosphere reacts to a sustained warming of the Pacific Ocean’s surface temperatures above average levels, bringing less rain, longer dry spells and higher temperatures to South-east Asia. El Nino events tend to have the greatest bearing on Singapore’s rainfall during the dry south-west monsoon season from June to September. |
