Rainfall

Seasonal Rainfall Outlook: September-November 2018 (SON)

Issued: 31 Aug 2018

For SON 2018, near-normal or below-normal rainfall is favoured over most parts of the Southeast Asia region.

For SON 2018, all three models – NCEP CFSv2, ECMWF, and UK Met Office (Figures 1-3) –differ over the equator and southwards. For this region, NCEP CFSv2 predicts mostly below-normal rainfall, whereas ECMWF and UK Met Office predict a mix of near-normal and below-normal rainfall. For all three models, however, the magnitude of the below-normal rainfall is not expected to be large. All three models have good skill over the equator and southwards.

Elsewhere, the three models favour below-normal conditions over the northern parts of Southeast Asia. Another consistent prediction across the three models is over northern Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia where above-normal rainfall is favoured. However, for both these regions, model skill in this season is generally poor, apart from over the northern Philippines.

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Figure 1: Rainfall tercile summary predictions of NCEP model for SON 2018.
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Figure 2: Rainfall tercile summary predictions of ECMWF model for SON 2018 (contains modified Copernicus C3S information).
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Figure 3: Rainfall tercile summary predictions of UK Met Office model for SON 2018 (contains modified Copernicus C3S information).
The qualitative outlook is assessed for the region in general. For specific updates on the national scale, the relevant ASEAN National Meteorological and Hydrological Services should be consulted.