The coasts of Sabah, Sarawak, Labuan and as well as in the east of Peninsular Malaysia are likely to face rough seas following the detection of a tropical depression about 549km northwest of Labuan yesterday.
According to the Meteorological Department, this condition may also cause thunderstorms and strong winds.
“The tropical depression which was detected at 2pm yesterday is expected to move southwest at 20 kmph,” the department said in a statement.
At the same time, strong northeast winds of 60 kmph and waves of over 5.5 metres will hit the coasts of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor Timur, Sarawak, Federal Territory of Labuan, Sabah (Pendalaman, Pantai Barat, and Kudat), Samui, Tioman, Bunguran, Condore, Reef North, Layang-Layang as well as Palawan until Dec 29, the statement added.
The department said beaches in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia were likely to face higher tides.
“The strong winds and choppy waters will be dangerous for sea actvities including workers at oil platforms,” the statement said.
According to the department, strong northeasterly winds of between 40 and 50 kmph and waves of up to 3.5 metres would also hit the coasts of Langkawi, Perlis, north Kedah, Sandakan, Phuket and Sulu until Saturday.
“Small boats, sea recreational activities and sports will be dangerous in such conditions,” it said. In Sarawak, intermittent and sometimes moderate rain is forecast to continue until Friday and can cause floods in low-lying areas.
This also applies to Terengganu, Pahang and Johor, whereby the conditions will persist until Thusday, the statement added.
– Bernama