DUNGUN: Residents in the district, particularly in rural areas, have been experiencing unusually cold temperatures in the early morning over the past few days.
The temperatures, dropping to between 18 and 20°C, have caused people to don thick jackets to keep warm.
A check yesterday morning at Kampung Pasir Raja in Hulu Dungun, which borders Jerantut, Pahang, found the area shrouded in mist, though residents continued their daily activities as usual.
At SK Pasir Raja, pupils attended classes in sweaters. School headmaster Mohd Nor Azizi Kamarudin said the cold weather had been felt since the first day of the school year on Sunday.
“Areas near the school are blanketed in mist every morning due to the drop in temperature.”
Nor Azizi said the school recorded a low of 18°C at 7am on Sunday, while subsequent days saw temperatures hovering around 20°C.
He added that the school had encouraged pupils to wear sweaters as a precaution to avoid health issues.
He expressed gratitude that all 43 pupils maintained full attendance despite the cold snap.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Fakhril Aryan Mohd Firdaus, 11, said his mother had to wake up earlier this week to boil water for his bath before school.
“I cannot use the tap water as it is too cold. I have never experienced weather this cold before.”
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu Faculty of Science and Marine Environment lecturer Dr Chung Jing Xiang said the current weather in Terengganu was caused by cold surges during the northeast monsoon.
The phenomenon occurred when northeast winds originating from Siberia moved into the region.
“These winds are originally cold and dry, but as they pass over the South China Sea, they absorb water vapour from the sea surface and become more humid. This wind is known as a cold surge,” he said in a statement.
Chung added that based on temperature records in Terengganu, weather conditions typically returned to normal between February and March.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
