KUALA LUMPUR: Flash floods here Tuesday morning were caused by the movement of a squall line that brought in thunderstorms and heavy rain.
According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), weather monitoring and radar image analysis indicated that a squall line formed over the Strait of Malacca early on Tuesday (Oct 15) morning and began moving into Selangor at 7am.
A squall line is a long, narrow band of intense thunderstorms that can produce severe weather such as strong winds, heavy rain and sometimes hail or even tornadoes, often forming ahead of a cold front.
“The intensity of the squall line increased and moved towards Kuala Lumpur at 8.30am.
“Based on the rainfall distribution in the Klang Valley from 8am to 11am, the highest rainfall recorded was between 9am to 10 am,” said MetMalaysia in a statement on Tuesday (Oct 15).
MetMalaysia reported that from 9am to 10am, the meteorological station at the Federal Forest Reserve of the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) in Kepong recorded 53.5mm of rainfall, Klang Gate Dam recorded 51.7mm and the Parliament area recorded 47.3mm.
According to MetMalaysia, a warning predicting thunderstorms and heavy rain in the Klang Valley was issued as early as 6.30am and updated at 8.50am.
“Weather warnings issued by MetMalaysia are constantly updated and disseminated through various channels such as the website, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X, as well as through short message service (SMS),” said the statement.
On Tuesday morning, several areas and major roads around Kuala Lumpur were flooded due to the overflow of major rivers; namely Sungai Batu, Sungai Klang and Sungai Gombak.
According to Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), among the affected areas were Jalan Pantai Baharu, Jalan Parlimen (Dato’ Onn Roundabout), Jalan Kinabalu, Jalan Maharajalela, Jalan Travers, and Jalan Damansara (under the Semantan overpass).
Also affected were Jalan Ledang, Jalan Segambut, Jalan Genting Klang (in front of Shell and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman), Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, and Jalan Sultan (Petaling Street).
In addition, a landslide in Taman Melawati, Ampang, has caused 20 terrace houses to be cut off from the main access road. – Bernama
