SINGAPORE – Heavy rain prompted flood warnings for large parts of Singapore on the morning of May 4, and caused delays at Changi Airport and at the LIV Golf tournament on Sentosa.

At about 10.35am, PUB posted a flood alert on social media platform X that heavy rain was expected over “many areas of Singapore” from 10.35am to 11.20am. It was the latest in a series of posts that began at 6.27am alerting the public about the inclement weather.

The national water agency also urged the public to avoid certain roads such as TPE (Punggol West Flyover) and Jalan Pokok Serunai in Bedok because of heavy rain, and issued flash flood alerts for several areas, including Upper Paya Lebar Service Road (from Lim Teck Boo Road to Rochdale Road) and Craig Road from Duxton Road to Tanjong Pagar Road.

PUB said in a statement at 6.37pm that the heaviest rainfall on May 4 – 107.2mm – was recorded in western Singapore from 7.30am to 1.30pm. This amount corresponds to 65 per cent of Singapore’s average monthly rainfall in May, and is in the top 3 per cent of maximum daily rainfall records since 1978, it added.

At Changi Airport, 27 flights out of Singapore were delayed, while passengers on 24 arriving flights experienced baggage handling disruptions.

In a statement The Straits Times received at around 5.50pm, Changi Airport Group said issues were resolved after the wet weather subsided.

Mr Reef Singh, 22, said his Scoot flight from Singapore to Sydney had been delayed from 10am to 12.30pm.

The pilot had announced before take-off that due to the heavy thunderstorm and the risk of lightning, cargo handlers were unable to load the passengers’ luggage ahead of the near eight-hour flight to Australia.

The pilot explained that a decision was made to depart without the luggage as the airport in Sydney has an 11pm curfew (9pm Singapore time). He added that the luggage would be put on the next flight to Sydney, which would arrive the following morning.

Mr Singh later told ST that passengers on the flight were informed about an hour before landing that their luggage would be delivered to their hotels and homes. They were asked to fill in forms at the airport in Sydney and provide their addresses, as well as descriptions of their luggage.

Some passengers arriving at Changi had to wait for almost two hours for their baggage because of the rain.

At Terminal 2, several passengers – from at least four flights – could be seen waiting at the baggage claim area. They included passengers who arrived on Singapore Airlines flights from Dubai and Munich.

Changi Airport staff could be seen distributing snacks like Milo packets and Oreo biscuits to waiting passengers.

One man, Mr Robert Hall, arrived in Singapore after travelling for almost 30 hours.

The American told ST he had travelled through Washington DC, Dallas and Tokyo before arriving here, only to have to wait another two hours for his baggage.

Mr Hall said he was looking forward to going to his hotel after a long journey to see if he could check in early.

However, the 58-year-old engineer, who is in Singapore for business, was understanding about the situation.

“I understand that the weather cannot be predicted,” he said.

In response to queries, Changi Airport Group said the delays in baggage presentation at the airport were caused by the inclement weather and lightning warnings, which had prompted it to prioritise the safety of its ground handlers.

It added that affected passengers are encouraged to approach its on-ground staff for complimentary refreshments, and that they can choose to exit and re-enter the baggage claim area once their baggage is ready for collection.

It noted that complimentary baggage delivery service is available for affected passengers on selected airlines.

“Public announcements are being made in the terminals to keep passengers informed of any updates. We advise passengers to stay updated by checking with their respective airlines and monitoring the Changi Airport flight status page or Changi App for the latest information,” it added. “We apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

At Seletar Airport, Changi Airport Group said two flights to the airport in the north had been cancelled and one had returned to Subang, Malaysia, because of the bad weather. There were no baggage delays at Seletar Airport, it added.

Over at Sentosa Golf Club, tee-off times for the LIV Golf event were first pushed back to 10.45am, then to 12.45pm. The golfers eventually teed off at 2pm.

The shotgun start, which involves all 54 golfers teeing off concurrently from different tees, was initially slated for 9.15am.

Earlier, overcast skies circled the Serapong Course and a drizzle eventually progressed into heavy rain pouring onto the waterlogged greens.

On May 2, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) had warned that the Republic was set for a wet start to May, forecasting moderate to heavy thundery showers in the late morning and afternoon on most days for the first fortnight of the month.

The MSS added that there may be widespread thundery showers with gusty winds on a few mornings.

• Additional reporting by Ervin Ang