{
  "id": 14805908,
  "title": "Haze in S’pore: Air quality worsens overnight as PSI hits ‘very unhealthy’ range in central region",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/haze-in-spore-air-quality-worsens-overnight-as-psi-hits-very",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-15T22:17:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Straits Times",
    "slug": "straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/haze-in-spore-air-quality-worsens-overnight-as-psi-hits-very-unhealthy-range-in-central-region"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Singapore's air quality deteriorated overnight, with the central region worst affected, as the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) rose to \"very unhealthy\" levels at midnight. The PSI reading in the central region hit a record high of 221, while the rest of the island recorded PSI readings in the unhealthy range. At 6am on October 16, the 24-hour average PSI in the central region was 221, while other areas recorded PSI readings of 193 (west), 192 (east), 178 (south), and 145 (north). The hourly PM2.5 readings, which measure fine particle concentrations, fluctuated between \"elevated\" and \"high\" on the island at 6am, with east (160), central (150), and west (148) recording higher values than south (113) and north (99). PM2.5 scores between 0-55 indicate normal conditions, 56-150 signify an elevated concentration of fine particles, 151-250 are considered high, and scores above 251 are classified as very high. The highest PM2.5 reading during this haze season was recorded on October 14 in the western part of Singapore at 288. The National Environment Agency (NEA) attributed the haze to smoke from fires in Kalimantan that continued to drift towards Singapore under prevailing southeasterly winds. While showers were expected over Singapore and the region, southern Sumatra and parts of Kalimantan remained dry, potentially reducing smoke transport. However, winds shifting to south-easterly or south could worsen the situation, though some smoke haze from Sumatra might still drift towards Singapore.",
  "summary": "At 6am, the 24-hour PSI stood at 212 in central Singapore, a new season high.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Straits Times",
        "title": "Haze in Singapore: PSI in western part of island remains ‘very unhealthy’ overnight",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/haze-in-singapore-psi-in-western-part-of-island-remains-very",
        "published": "2026-10-14T22:18:22.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}