The hot and dry weather is expected to persist until September following the South-West Monsoon season, which has commenced on May 15.

The Meteorological Department, in a statement in Kuala Lumpur today, said that during the season, most parts of the country would experience more days without rain.

At the same time, the cloud cover will be less while sunshine duration will be longer, causing the temperatures to increase.

However, the coastal areas in the west coast of the peninsula will experience thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong gusts particularly at dawn and early morning due to squall-line over the Straits of Malacca.

During this season, there will be an increased frequency of tropical storm activities over the western North Pacific Ocean and northern South China Sea and causing strong winds with heavy rains over Kudat and west coast of Sabah, the statement said.

- Bernama