Haze conditions forecast to ease slightly on Oct 9

Hazy conditions seen in the Clementi area at about 7.30am on Oct 8.

ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Published Oct 08, 2026, 07:52 PM

Updated Oct 08, 2026, 07:52 PM

SINGAPORE – The haze situation here on Oct 9 may ease slightly , with the National Environment Agency (NEA) forecasting that the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings will be in the high moderate to mid-unhealthy range .

This is compared with the agency’s haze advisory a day earlier, when it forecast the PSI readings on Oct 8 to be entirely in the unhealthy band.

The 24-hour PSI readings – a 24-hour rolling average of six key air pollutants – was in the unhealthy band across Singapore from noon on Oct 7 to 5pm on Oct 8.

The reading for the northern part of Singapore dropped to 100 at 6pm the same day, before dipping further to 98 at 7pm. However, the PSI readings remained in the unhealthy band for the rest of Singapore, ranging from 105 in the south to 139 in the west at 7pm.

Air quality is considered unhealthy when the PSI reading ranges from 101 to 200, during which the NEA advises the public to at least reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor activities. PSI readings of 51 to 100 are considered moderate, while values of zero to 50 are in the “good” range.

PM2.5 readings, meanwhile, were elevated across three regions as at 7pm – the south (97), west (97) and central (128) – while the northern and eastern parts of the island registered values of 53 and 49 respectively.

The hourly PM2.5 reading is used as a gauge for immediate air quality, with scores from 56 to 150 indicating elevated pollution levels.

Oct 7 was the first time, since the NEA started issuing daily haze advisories on Sept 4, that the forecast has fallen completely within the unhealthy band of 101 and 200. Previous forecasts in the same period were in the moderate, or moderate to unhealthy ranges.

In its Oct 8 advisory, NEA said moderate to dense smoke plumes from southern and central Sumatra and West Kalimantan were observed to be drifting towards Singapore, with dry conditions expected to continue in the neighbouring Indonesian territories.

“Under the prevailing south-easterly or southerly winds, smoke haze may continue to drift towards Singapore,” it added.

The PSI crossed into the unhealthy range four weeks ago, hitting 101 in central Singapore on the morning of Sept 4. In the days that followed, readings in the central, eastern and western parts of the island occasionally crossed into the unhealthy range.

The highest reading of the year – 167 in central Singapore – was recorded on Sept 29. That same day, the central region also saw the highest 1-hour PM2.5 reading of 2026 of 165 at midnight.

These developments over the past month marked the first time since October 2023 that the PSI in Singapore hit unhealthy levels because of haze, with the authorities earlier warning of the risk of haze between June and October as a result of warmer and drier conditions brought on by both El Nino and the Indian Ocean Dipole .

Some experts have predicted that the haze in Singapore in 2026 could last for a longer period due to the “Godzilla” El Nino event, which could reduce rainfall and result in higher temperatures over October and November, compared with non-El Nino years.

During non-El Nino years, the dry south-west monsoon season usually tapers off by September, and the start of the rainy north-east monsoon season tends to set in around late November.

The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) told The Straits Times that El Nino events, particularly strong ones, tend to delay the retreat of the dry season for much of the southern ASEAN region.

The Met service added that it is expecting a transition only during late October or early November for Singapore, later than in the previous two years.

National Environment Agency

10月8日上午7点30分左右，金文泰地区出现雾霾天气。

《海峡时报》摄影：KELVIN CHNG

发布于 2026 年 10 月 8 日晚上 7:52

更新于2026年10月8日晚上7:52

新加坡——10月9日，新加坡的雾霾情况可能会略有缓解，国家环境局（NEA）预测，24小时污染物标准指数（PSI）读数将处于中度偏高至中度不健康范围内。

相比之下，该机构前一天发布的雾霾预警预测，10 月 8 日的空气污染指数 (PSI) 将全部处于不健康范围内。

10 月 7 日中午至 10 月 8 日下午 5 点，新加坡 24 小时空气污染指数（PSI，六种主要空气污染物的 24 小时滚动平均值）在全国范围内处于不健康水平。

当天下午6点，新加坡北部地区的空气污染指数降至100，随后在晚上7点进一步降至98。然而，新加坡其他地区的空气污染指数仍处于不健康范围内，晚上7点时南部地区的指数为105，西部地区的指数为139。

当PSI读数在101至200之间时，空气质量被认为是不健康的。此时，新加坡国家环境局建议公众至少减少长时间或剧烈的户外活动。PSI读数在51至100之间被认为是中等的，而0至50之间的数值则属于“良好”范围。

与此同时，截至晚上 7 点，三个地区的 PM2.5 读数较高——南部（97）、西部（97）和中部（128）——而该岛北部和东部的读数分别为 53 和 49。

每小时 PM2.5 读数被用作衡量即时空气质量的指标，56 到 150 的分数表示污染水平升高。

自国家环境局9月4日开始每日发布雾霾预警以来，10月7日是首次出现雾霾预报完全落在101至200的不健康范围内的情况。此前同期预报的雾霾等级为中等或中等至不健康。

新加坡国家环境局 (NEA) 在 10 月 8 日发布的公告中表示，来自苏门答腊南部和中部以及西加里曼丹的中等至浓重烟雾正向新加坡飘去，预计邻近的印度尼西亚地区将继续保持干燥天气。

“在盛行的东南风或南风的影响下，烟雾可能会继续向新加坡飘去，”声明补充道。

四周前，新加坡空气污染指数（PSI）进入不健康范围，9月4日上午，新加坡中部地区的PSI达到101。在接下来的几天里，该岛中部、东部和西部地区的读数偶尔也会进入不健康范围。

今年最高的读数——新加坡中部 167——出现在 9 月 29 日。同一天，中部地区午夜时分的 1 小时 PM2.5 读数也达到了 2026 年来的最高值 165。

过去一个月的这些发展标志着自 2023 年 10 月以来，新加坡的空气污染指数 (PSI) 首次因雾霾达到不健康水平。此前，当局曾警告称，由于厄尔尼诺现象和印度洋偶极子现象带来的气候变暖和干燥，6 月至 10 月期间存在雾霾风险。

一些专家预测，由于“哥斯拉”厄尔尼诺现象，2026 年新加坡的雾霾可能会持续更长时间，与非厄尔尼诺年份相比，这可能会减少降雨量，并导致 10 月和 11 月气温升高。

在非厄尔尼诺年份，干燥的西南季风季节通常在 9 月份逐渐结束，而多雨的东北季风季节往往在 11 月下旬左右开始。

新加坡气象局 (MSS) 告诉《海峡时报》，厄尔尼诺现象，尤其是强烈的厄尔尼诺现象，往往会推迟东盟南部大部分地区旱季的消退。

气象部门补充说，预计新加坡的气候过渡期要到 10 月下旬或 11 月初才会到来，比前两年都要晚。

国家环境局