Bad weather warning for Kelantan, Terengganu

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3  -- The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued an orange-level warning indicative of a bad weather situation today for several areas in Kelantan and Terengganu.

It identified the areas in Kelantan as Tumpat, Pasir Mas, Kota Bharu, Bachok and Pasir Puteh and those in Terengganu as Besut, Setiu, Kuala Nerus and Kuala Terengganu.

“This weather situation can trigger strong winds, particularly in the coastal stretches of the east coast states in the peninsula,” MetMalaysia said in a statement.

Three colour codes are used to indicate weather situations: yellow (beware - situation not a serious threat yet), orange (bad - residents in affected areas should prepare for bad weather) and red (dangerous - severely bad weather that requires evacuation).

MetMalaysia also said that many areas in the west coast states and federal territories of the peninsula, such as Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka as well as Johor are expected to experience thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds in the evening and early part of the night.

The weather will be similar in the interior of Pahang, western Sabah and western Sarawak, and the situation can cause flash floods in low-lying areas as well as structural damage, it said.

MetMalaysia said north-easterly winds of between 50 km per hour and 60 km per hour and waves as high as 4.5 metres are expected in the waters off Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang and cause the seawater to rise along the coasts and at river mouths.

-- BERNAMA