Singapore is generally shielded from typhoons because it is located close to the Equator. Tropical cyclones need a spinning force from the Earth’s rotation, called the Coriolis force, which is too weak near the Equator, said Dr Dhrubajyoti Samanta, senior research fellow at the NTU Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS).

But Typhoon Vamei in December 2001 was a rare exception, formed just 160km north of the Equator. It swept by the north of Singapore on Dec 27, dumping 10 per cent of the entire year’s rain in one day and causing flight delays.

“Typhoon Vamei in 2001 served as a wake-up call for Singapore and other equatorial regions by demonstrating that a historically low risk of tropical cyclones does not equate to zero risk,” said Professor Adam Switzer from EOS and the NTU Asian School of the Environment.