Haze in Singapore: Air quality falls back in unhealthy range overnight
As at 6am, the 24-hour PSI in the central region stood at 110 and 102 in the west.
Singapore's air quality dipped back into the unhealthy range overnight on October 5, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA). The 24-hour PSI reading in the central region at 6am read 110, while the west stood at 102. PM2.5 readings, which gauge immediate air quality, were elevated in two of Singapore's five regions. The PM2.5 spiked at 93 in the central region and 81 in the west, while readings in the north, south, and east remained within the normal band, ranging from 49 to 52.
Air quality is deemed unhealthy when the 24-hour PSI falls within the 101 to 200 range, and an hourly PM2.5 reading between 56 and 150 signifies elevated fine particle concentrations. The PSI had fluctuated between moderate and unhealthy ranges on October 4, peaking at 103 around 3am before dropping to the 90s, where it remained for much of the day until moving back into the unhealthy range at 101 before settling at 99 at 11pm.
The air quality began deteriorating at midnight, rising to 100 and steadily worsening overnight. The NEA had anticipated unhealthy air quality for the subsequent 24 hours, with the 24-hour PSI forecast to be in the high moderate to low unhealthy range. Smoke plumes from southern Sumatra and Kalimantan fires drifted towards Singapore and the surrounding region, contributing to the haze.
Dry conditions were expected to persist over Singapore and the region on October 5, as prevailing winds were anticipated to blow from the south-east or south-west, maintaining the risk of smoke haze affecting the Republic.
Written by urgent.news from Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
