KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has reminded the public to always be aware of the El Nino phenomenon and the north-east monsoon, which are expected to occur simultaneously this November.

MetMalaysia National Climate Centre principal assistant director, Amirul Nizam Marodzi, said that the peak of El Nino is also expected to occur during the start of the rainy season, at the end of this year or early next year.

"El Nino is expected to reach its peak at the end of the year or early next year, when at that time the country is in the north-east monsoon, from November to March, which brings more heavy rain in the states of the east coast, Sabah and Sarawak,” he said when appearing as a guest in "Eksklusif” programme produced by Nasional FM today.

Therefore, Amirul Nizam also reminded the public to be more vigilant to all weather-related information issued by relevant agencies, especially MetMalaysia.

He said that people’s alertness to weather conditions, and information from relevant agencies, is crucial to enable them to plan their daily activities and avoid unwanted incidents.

Meanwhile, he also invited the public to participate in a webinar, titled north-east monsoon and El Nino 2023/2024 National Climate Forum, on October 10, which focuses on disseminating information about the monsoon season.

He added that the webinar was to prepare all parties to face the north-east monsoon phenomenon.

The webinar is an annual programme organised by MetMalaysia, which will feature panel members from the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), which will be broadcast on MetMalaysia Facebook live session.

It will also be broadcast on Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Change Weather Facebook Live as well as Astro Awani Facebook Live, on October 10, starting at 10am. — Bernama