SINGAPORE — Heavy rain prompted flood warnings for large parts of Singapore on the morning of May 4, and caused delays at Changi Airport.
At about 10am, PUB posted a flood alert on social media platform X that heavy rain was expected over "many areas of Singapore" from 10am to 10.45am.
Earlier, the national water agency also put up three posts saying that heavy rain was expected from 6.45am to 7.45am, 7.45am to 8.30am, and 8.05am to 9am.
PUB also told the public at about 8.10am to avoid TPE (Punggol West Flyover) and Jalan Pokok Serunai in Bedok for an hour, because of heavy rain.
The agency warned about the risk of flash floods as well, in Upper Paya Lebar Service Road (from Lim Teck Boo Road to Rochdale Road), Jalan Lokam near Upper Paya Lebar Road, Thrift Drive near Jalan Usaha, Jalan Seaview, the junction of Mountbatten Road and Tanjong Katong Road South, as well as Craig Road from Duxton Road to Tanjong Pagar Road.
An event involving Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat launching an unmanned aircraft flying area at the Dover Hiking Trail was postponed because of the bad weather.
Some passengers arriving at Changi Airport had to wait for almost two hours for their baggage because of the rain.
A photo sent by a Straits Times reader that was taken just before 9am also shows that at least eight flights were delayed for boarding at Terminal 3.
At Terminal 2, several passengers — from at least four flights — could be seen waiting at the baggage claim area.
They included passengers who arrived on Singapore Airlines flights from Dubai and Munich.
Changi Airport staff could be seen distributing snacks like Milo packets and Oreo biscuits to waiting passengers.
One man, Robert Hall, arrived in Singapore after travelling for almost 30 hours.
The American told The Straits Times he had travelled through Washington DC, Dallas and Tokyo before arriving here, only to have to wait another two hours for his baggage.
Hall said he was looking forward to going to his hotel after a long journey to see if he could check in early.
However, the 58-year-old engineer, who is in Singapore for business, was understanding about the situation.
"I understand that the weather cannot be predicted," he said.
[Risk of Flash Floods]
— PUB (@PUBsingapore) May 4, 2024
Due to heavy rain, please avoid this location for the next 1 hour: Jln Boon Lay (Enterprise Rd to International Rd) [10:37 hours]
A screenshot of a notice issued by Singapore Airlines shows that it had offered a complimentary baggage delivery service here to assist those who were affected by the delay.
ST understands that the baggage collection delay was due to weather conditions.
ST has contacted Changi Airport for more information.
Over at Sentosa Golf Club, tee-off times for the LIV Golf event were pushed back to 12.45pm at the earliest.
The shotgun start, which involves all 54 golfers teeing off concurrently from different tees, was initially slated for 9.15am.
Round 1 leader, Colombian Sebastian Munoz, was set to start from Hole 1 alongside Belgian Thomas Pieters and American Brooks Koepka.
Earlier, overcast skies circled the Serapong Course and a drizzle eventually progressed into heavy rain pouring onto the waterlogged greens.
Golfers are now split between the dining area and dressing rooms, trying to stay focused and keep warm.
On May 2, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) had warned that the Republic was set for a wet start to May, forecasting moderate to heavy thundery showers in the late morning and afternoon on most days for the first fortnight of the month.
The MSS added that there may be widespread thundery showers with gusty winds on a few mornings.
ALSO READ: Asia is most climate disaster-impacted region, UN meteorological agency says
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.