30/01/2018

Hailstones, Flash Floods & Fallen Trees as Storms hit Singapore

Update 6 Jan 2021: Landslides, Fallen Trees & Flash Floods due to Incessant Rain
Landslide In Outram Near York Hill Occurred Due To Continuous Heavy Rain On 2 Jan

Just 3 days into the new year, Singapore has already seen unprecedented levels of heavy rain and cold weather due to the La Nina phenomenon. While many are relishing the aircon weather, the torrential downpour has started wreaking havoc around the island with flash floods.

Now, landslides have also occurred, with one that took place behind Furama Riverfront Hotel — near York Hill and Outram Secondary School in Outram. Authorities have been alerted to the incident and the area is now cordoned off for repair works. In a video posted by SG Road Vigilante, muddy soil can be seen sliding down a slope in Outram on Saturday (2 Jan).

Minor soil slippage at 3 other locations. Apart from Outram, SLA noted that several minor soil slippage incidents also took place at:
  • Kusu Island
  • Lazarus Island
  • St John’s Island


Hailstones reported in Yishun, Seletar areas during heavy rainfall


After a span of heavy rainfall on Tuesday evening, hailstones have been reported in several areas of Singapore such as Yishun and Seletar. In addition to this, flash floods have been reported at Seletar North Link.

A Facebook user, who goes by the name of Mygolf Sg, posted an amazing video of hailstones during the rainfall at Seletar Country Club. A few other users also posted hail stone videos in other parts of Singapore, including Nanyang Polytechnic.

Experts say that hailstorms form within an unusually unstable air mass in which the temperature falloff with height is much greater than normal. During hailstorms, small ice particles that form above the freezing level generally collect either rainwater or cloud water on them, forming a water shell that freezes.

related:
Flash floods reported at Seletar North Link due to heavy rainfall in Singapore
Flash floods reported in Boon Lay, Craig Road due to heavy rainfall
MRT worksite drain blockage caused Upper Thomson flash flood

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Hail, flash floods, fallen trees in Singapore after thunderstorm
A damaged tree is seen along Seletar North Link after a thunderstorm late Tuesday afternoon. — Raj Nadarajan/TODAY pic

A thunderstorm yesterday afternoon not only flooded roads, but rained hail and toppled several trees in the northeastern part of the island.

PUB said in a statement late last night that the flash floods, which ocurred at 5.17pm, were caused by “overland flow from the storm (which) exceeded the capacity of the roadside drains”. The flood subsided around 30 minutes later at 5.45pm.

Earlier in the day, the agency had issued a flood alert for Seletar North Link at around 5.30pm, advising motorists to avoid the area as both lanes of the two-lane stretch was flooded by heavy rain.

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Hailstones reported to have fallen in Ang Mo Kio, Seletar amid heavy rain
Screengrab of a video showing a closeup of a hailstone on a person's hand. (Foto: Facebook/Michael Wong)

Hailstones were reported in various parts of S'pore on Tuesday (Jan 30) evening amid heavy rain in the north of the island.

Ms Sara Thompson, a teacher at GEMS World Academy international school, was on her way home from work when hail struck at Seletar West Link.

"We are Canadian, so we know hail when we hear it & see it," she told Channel NewsAsia.

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Hail, flash floods, fallen trees reported in Yishun after thunderstorm
A damaged tree is seen along Seletar North Link after a thunderstorm late Tuesday (Jan 30) afternoon. foto: Raj Nadarajan / TODAY

A thunderstorm on Tuesday (Jan 30) afternoon not only flooded roads, but rained hail & toppled several trees in the northeastern part of the island.

PUB said in a statement late Tuesday night that the flash floods, which ocurred at 5.17pm, were caused by "overland flow from the storm (which) exceeded the capacity of the roadside drains".

The flood subsided around 30 minutes later at 5:45pm.

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Hail reportedly fell in Yishun, Sengkang & other north & northeastern parts of S’pore

If you follow weather reports closely, you would be prepared for some heavy rain in the northern, eastern and central areas of Singapore. But would you ever expect some hailstones? The weather phenomena last occurred in 2013.

And it has allegedly happened again at about 4.30pm on Jan. 30, 2018.

Multiple people from Yishun to Sengkang were obviously surprised by what was described as “raining ice” by some.

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Flash flood, fallen trees as storms hit northern Singapore
Seletar North Link was hit with a flash flood on Tuesday (Jan 30) evening. (Foto: Twitter / PUB)

Heavy rain fell across Singapore on Tuesday (Jan 30) afternoon, leading to a flash flood at Seletar North Link. Fallen trees were also reported in various parts of northern Singapore.

Tipper truck driver Jackie Yap said he was on the way to work at around 5pm when he saw the flood along Seletar North Link.
"I saw two stalled cars in the water. One was a Toyota Wish and another a Toyota Altis," Mr Yap told Channel NewsAsia. "The drivers couldn't do much ... They were very helpless. I could see them making phone calls, probably asking for help."
Mr Yap said he saw at least 4 fallen trees on his Seletar journey.

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Flash floods reported at Seletar North Link due to heavy rainfall in northern Singapore
A view of Singapore's business district from an office building in Singapore Reuters

Flash floods have been reported at Seletar North Link after a span of heavy rainfall in Singapore on Tuesday afternoon. According to Channel NewsAsia report, a tree has fallen down on Tampines Expressway (TPE) due to the impact of the rain.

On Twitter, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) posted at 5.10 pm that the Yio Chu Kang Road exit on the TPE was closed due to an "obstacle", which is believed to be the fallen tree.

At about 5.30 pm, PUB tweeted that both lanes of the Seletar Road were closed. The motorists were urged to avoid the area. However, 15 minutes later, the authorities tweeted again saying that the traffic was able to pass as the flood had subsided.

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'It was so sudden': Storm took Yishun, Chong Pang residents by surprise
A child looking at a tree that fell near Yishun Secondary School on Tuesday (Jan 30). (foto: Fann Sim)

Residents & store owners in the north of Singapore said that Tuesday evening's (Jan 30) storm caught them by surprise, as they took stock of the damage caused by heavy rain, strong wind & falling trees and branches.

In Chong Pang, a large tree branch fell on one of the tents housing a pasar malam, or night market.

“It happened very suddenly and we had no time to keep or stow away our things," said a stall owner who wanted to be identified as Mr Ker.

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“Ice Rain” Pelts People in Several Parts of Singapore, Including Yishun and Seletar

Hail, better known to some as “ice rain” (because they’re essentially solid cubes of water droplets that rain down from the sky) pelted people in Yishun, Seletar and Sengkang this evening.

Netizens have shared videos online of hailstones raining down in places like Nangyang Polytechnic (located in Ang Mo Kio) and Seletar Country Club. Other netizens reported incidences of hail in the Sengkang region. This comes as flash floods struck the Seletar region.

The floods resulted in multiple fallen trees. While rare, this isn’t the first time that Singapore has experienced hail was seen during a huge thunderstorm around the Turf Club area in Oct 2014, and parts of Bukit Batok in June 2013.

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Hailstorms In Singapore That Need To Be Answered ASAP

Powerful storms and hailstones assailed northern parts of Singapore like Ang Mo Kio, Yishun and Seletar on Wednesday (30 Jan).

In lieu of all the recent flooding incidents – both MRT and non-MRT related – we’ve been experiencing, we decided to answer a bunch of hail-related questions that have surely crossed your minds. Taking for example:

  • Can hail kill me?
  • Will hailstones pierce through my umbrella?
  • How can a tree that looks so strong still be uprooted?

We don’t have a magic crystal ball here at MustShareNews. But you’ll be pleased to know that we do have some answers to your questions.

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Hailstones and fallen trees in Yishun after a heavy downpour yesterday

A heavy downpour yesterday caused several trees in Yishun Park to be completely uprooted. At least four such trees have blocked pathways in the park. Joggers and passers-by had to make a detour because of the blocked pathways.

According to a Yishun resident, the wind was very strong and everything was blown horizontally. Contractors are in the midst of clearing the fallen trees.

Apart from these uprooted trees, hailstones were also spotted in Yishun and Seletar.

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NParks: More than 200 Incidents of Fallen Trees and Snapped Branches Reported on Tuesday
“Intense weather” saw 10,000 forest trees lost in the Mandai region in 2011. In 2012, around 100 trees fell in a wooded area at Changi Beach Park

The National Parks Board said today that more than 200 incidents of fallen trees and snapped branches were reported on Tuesday (30 Jan). The agency’s group director of Streetscape, Oh Choew Sheng, said:
“By late evening, NParks had received reports of more than 200 tree incidents comprising mainly small trees and snapped branches, most of which were cleared by 8pm yesterday.”
This comes after reports of “intense rain and strong winds” during the late afternoon in the north and northeastern parts of Singapore such as Yishun, Sembawang, Seletar, Mandai and Gambas. Oh said that NParks has had in place a “comprehensive tree management programme” since the early 2000s.
“During inspections, NParks’ certified arborists assess the condition of each tree based on their location and site factors… Where necessary, diagnostic equipment is used to ascertain the trees’ internal conditions. The frequency of tree inspection and pruning varies according to location, species, age and tree condition.”
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Yesterday’s Rain Caused Flash Floods as Well: PUB Has Responded

According to TODAYonline, flash floods were reported in the Western and Central parts of Singapore yesterday, after an afternoon of heavy rain.

The Public Utilities Board (PUB) said in a statement on yesterday night that the flash floods occurred at three locations at around 5.15pm. Jalan Boon Lay/International Road, Craig Road and Outram Road.

PUB also said that Jalan Boon Lay/International Road and Craig Road are known flood hotspots.

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Super Strong Winds Send Boats Flying in East Coast Park and Topple Huge Trees

Super strong winds this afternoon sent at least 3 boats flying at East Coast Park. This video shows how the winds tossed 3 Laser sailboats in the air at the National Sailing Centre – each boat weighs about 70kg. The incident took place at about 4pm.

This is the second day that storms have wreaked havoc in Singapore.

Yesterday, more than 200 incidents of toppled trees and snapped branches were reported over several parts of the country.

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Uprooted trees as heavy rain batters Singapore
No one was in the car when the tree fell. (Foto: Philip Toh)

When engineer Philip Toh heard a loud bang during his family gathering at Jalan Bukit Ho Swee on Sunday afternoon (Jan 14), he assumed that it was a traffic accident.

But when the 39-yr-old rushed out of the HDB unit to check, he saw a 2-metre long tree branch pierced into his car's front windscreen.

"The windscreen was obviously damaged. The impact of the branch also caused a dent in the car's bonnet," Mr Toh told Channel NewsAsia.

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