Singapore gets a breather from haze, but smoke could return on Tuesday night

Clearer skies returned to Singapore as southerly winds helped reduce the amount of smoke haze reaching the island. — AsiaOne pic

First Published: Sunday, 18 Oct 2026 6:59 PM MYT

SINGAPORE, Oct 18 — Residents in Singapore enjoyed a rare day of clearer skies and fresher air today, after a change in wind directions led to an improvement in air quality here.

In its daily haze situation update this evening, the National Environment Agency (NEA) stated that winds had turned to blow from the south.

“However, some smoke haze from Kalimantan continued drifting towards Singapore. Smoke haze was also observed over Sumatra,” the agency said.

At 6pm, the one-hour PM2.5 was in the normal band in the northern region (36), while remaining in the low-elevated band in eastern (67), central (69), western (66) and southern (69) Singapore.

Meanwhile, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index was in the unhealthy range across Singapore.

The highest reading of 192 was recorded in the western region, while northern Singapore had the lowest reading of 109.

Turning to its forecast for Monday, NEA said showers are expected over Singapore and the surrounding region.

It added that winds are expected to blow from the south-southeast or south, which could limit the transport of smoke haze from Kalimantan to Singapore.

However, the agency pointed out that some smoke haze from Sumatra may still drift towards Singapore.

Data from the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) shows that the number of hotspots in Kalimantan rose to 110 on October 17, while the number of hotspots in Sumatra fell to 11.

The agency’s 24-hour PSI forecast for Monday is between 100 and 190 — in the unhealthy range.

Smoke haze possibility from October 20

Despite the possibility of another day of better air quality on Monday, NEA also cautioned that Singapore could again experience smoke haze from Tuesday night.

This is due to a likely change in wind directions to east-southeasterly, which may then bring smoke haze from fires in Kalimantan towards Singapore overnight.

Members of the public are advised to check the latest PM2.5 readings before participating in outdoor activities. — AsiaOne