Fallen trees cause traffic jam on Upper Thomson Road after heavy rain on Sunday

SINGAPORE - Several trees toppled on Upper Thomson Road after a heavy downpour on Sunday afternoon (Feb 17), causing a traffic jam.

A reader told The Straits Times at around 4.45pm that at least one tree fell on the road and hit a car. It was raining heavily then and the wind was strong.

When The Straits Times arrived at the scene, the rain had ceased and the car was gone.

At least three trees had snapped and their crowns and part of their trunks were lying on the road.

One of the trees lay across two of the three lanes of the road, obstructing the flow of traffic headed in the direction of Yishun. This caused a long line of cars to form.

Workers were later spotted clearing the road and removing the fallen foliage.

ST understands that the three trees were Sterculia parviflora trees.

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The National Parks Board's (NParks) online flora and fauna database states such trees are native to Singapore, with common names given as Kelumpang Burong, Kelumpang Gajah, or Samrong.

Besides the three trees that fell on Sunday, two Pterocarpus indicus trees, more commonly known as Angsana trees, had their branches broken.

It is understood that no one was injured.

While the cause of the fallen trees is still unclear, there were strong winds and heavy rain in the afternoon.

In a tweet at about 5.15pm, the National Environment Agency warned of heavy rain in several parts of Singapore.

"Moderate to heavy thundery showers with gusty wind are expected to continue over many areas of Singapore between 5.15pm and 6.30pm," it said.

In another tweet about 25 minutes later, it said that the thundery showers had cleared.

ST has contacted the NParks for more information.

Additional reporting by Jeremy Kwan

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.