Unusually Hot Weather Hits KL

Afif Adree
2016.02.24
Kuala Lumpr

A man cools off by putting a water bottle against his face while waiting to cross a street in Kuala Lumpur, Feb. 24, 2016. [Afif Adree/BenarNews]

Children play at a pool in Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Feb. 24, 2016. [Afif Adree/BenarNews]

A woman shades herself under an umbrella in a public park in Kuala Lumpur, Feb. 24, 2016. [Afif Adree/BenarNews]

Beverage hawkers at Central Market Kuala Lumpur are doing brisk business due to the heat. Feb. 24, 2016. [Afif Adree/BenarNews]

Monks and pedestrians with umbrellas walking along the street of Central Market under the blazing sun, Feb. 24, 2016. [Afif Adree/BenarNews]

A girl runs through sprinklers to cool off, Feb. 24, 2016. [Afif Adree/BenarNews]

Kuala Lumpur residents are seeking ways to stay cool as Malaysia endures unusually hot and dry weather, thanks to the El Nino weather phenomenon.

“The hot and dry weather is now occurring in Perlis and Kedah and expected to be felt throughout Peninsular Malaysia from January to March 2016,” Malaysia’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Madius Tangau said in a recent statement.

Temperatures have reached 40 degrees Celsius in some areas, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

This year’s El Nino weather phenomenon is one of the strongest on record since 1950, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Every two to seven years, unusually warm water temperatures occur in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of South America, causing unusual weather conditions in various parts of the world.

El Nino is being blamed for flooding in southern Thailand and a dusting of snow in tropical Laos in recent weeks. But residents of Malaysia’s capital are reaching for shade and a cool drink.