KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued an urgent weather warning for the federal territories and several states, with heavy rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds expected to disrupt the evening commute until 7.00 pm today

Residents and commuters in the Klang Valley are advised to exercise extreme caution as the warning covers the entirety of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Putrajaya.

Coinciding with the peak evening rush hour, the downpour is expected to significantly impact traffic flow across major highways and urban arteries.

Commuters should prepare for reduced visibility and potential flash floods in low-lying areas, especially within the city centre and its surrounding suburbs.

In the northern region, the weather alert encompasses the whole of Perlis, alongside several districts in Kedah, including Kubang Pasu, Padang Terap, Sik, Baling, Kulim, and Bandar Baharu. Penang is also affected, specifically in Seberang Perai Utara, Tengah, and Selatan. In Perak, the warning extends across Kerian, Larut, Matang and Selama, Hulu Perak, Kuala Kangsar, Kinta, Kampar, Batang Padang, and Muallim.

The east coast and central regions are not spared, with warnings issued for Kuala Krai in Kelantan and Jerantut in Pahang.

Moving south, the inclement weather is expected to hit Seremban, Port Dickson, and Rembau in Negeri Sembilan, as well as Segamat, Kluang, Mersing, Kulai, Kota Tinggi, and Johor Bahru in Johor.

In East Malaysia, MetMalaysia has flagged Subis in Miri, Sarawak, for potential storms. Sabah faces a more widespread alert covering the Interior (Beaufort, Nabawan, and Tambunan), the West Coast (Papar, Putatan, Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran, and Kota Belud), Tawau, Sandakan (Kinabatangan and Sandakan), and Kudat.

MetMalaysia issues these short-term warnings when there are immediate signs of thunderstorms with rainfall intensity exceeding 20 mm/hour that are either imminent or expected to last for more than an hour.