Strong winds break apart roof at Gul Avenue

Videos of strong winds blowing a roof apart at Gul Avenue earlier today has been circulating on social media.

In the short clip, bystanders in a nearby office can be heard worrying and asking “Are we safe?”, as they witness a gust of wind, and what they refer to as a ‘mini tornado’ taking a roof of a nearby building apart.

The incident took place around 11am this morning.

Other netizens also shared videos of the heavy winds and rain around that time.

In the office from where the video was taken, an announcement can be heard advising all staff to stay indoors. Others were also heard panicking about the state of their cars parked below the building.

It was expected that there be some respite from the haze on Friday (September 27), as air quality was predicted to be in the good range in some parts of Singapore for the first time since it hit unhealthy levels two weeks ago.

Air quality took a sharp turn for the worse here on Sept 14 when the 24-hour PSI reading crossed the unhealthy level for the first time since 2016. It has remained in the moderate to unhealthy range since then.

The one-hour PM2.5 concentration reading, which NEA has said is a better indicator of current air quality, is expected to be in the normal band, although it may occasionally enter the elevated band.

NEA said that the likelihood of haze affecting Singapore is low, noting that thundery showers are forecast over Singapore and in parts of Sumatra for the next few days, according to a Straits Times report.

It is also expected that the winds may shift from Sumatra and blow the haze here.