The weather in Singapore can be summed up as hot and humid year-round. Here are a few more details about the city-state’s climate to help you decide when the best time of year to travel here might be.

The weather in Singapore can be a bit predictable.

Singapore has a tropical climate and the temperature is quite predictable. In general, you can expect a high of around 31 degrees Celsius during the day and a low of around 26 degrees Celsius at night. December and January tend to be slightly cooler (but wetter), while March and April are slightly hotter. The high humidity — usually around 85% — can make the heat feel even more unbearable.

To cope with the unrelenting heat, most indoor spaces in Singapore are air-conditioned. Even a short walk around the city can leave you sweaty and dehydrated, and the abundant shopping centres make convenient places to cool off and rehydrate. You’ll also find that museums, cafes, movie theatres, taxi cabs, public buses and even MRT trains are air-conditioned. Singaporeans tend to avoid being outside in the heat and on sunny days it’s common to see them using umbrellas as sun shades.

Not every day in Singapore can be perfect beach weather.

Due to its location just one degree from the equator, Singapore does not have traditional seasons like spring, summer, autumn and winter. However, there is a predictable monsoon season from November to January. These are the wettest months of the year and afternoon downpours are the norm. As mentioned above these are also the coolest months of the year, but the heavy rainfall may wash out your plans.

Even if your visit to Singapore falls outside of the monsoon season, you can expect to see a few rainy days. According to the National Environment Agency, Singapore averages 178 rainy days per year – that means it’s rainy on nearly 50% of days each year.

Thankfully Singapore is designed so the people can go about their daily lives even in a tropical downpour: underground tunnels connect MRT stations to shopping centres, most buildings have prominent eaves that shelter pedestrians from the rain, bus stops are covered and all convenience stores sell cheap umbrellas. The only thing significantly affected is the availability of taxis – good luck getting one while it’s raining!

More still
» Previous post: New Year’s Eve in Singapore 2012
» Next post: Review: Chye Seng Huat Hardware Coffee, Singapore

Disclaimer
Travelfish.org always pays its way. No exceptions.