Regional Haze Situation

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Latest Weather and Haze Situation

Dry conditions prevailed over most parts of the northern ASEAN region overnight. Isolated to scattered hotspots were detected in the Mekong sub-region. Moderate to dense smoke haze was observed over the central parts of Thailand, the northern parts of Lao PDR, as well as the eastern and southern parts Myanmar. Slight haze was also observed over the central parts of Myanmar, the eastern parts of Thailand and the central parts of Lao PDR. Due to cloud cover, the full extent of the hotspot and smoke haze situation over the Mekong sub- region cannot be determined.

It was dry over the southern ASEAN region overnight, except over east Kalimantan where showers were observed. Few to isolated hotspots were detected mainly in the central parts of Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, West Kalimantan and Sarawak. Slight to moderate smoke plumes were observed to emanate from hotspots detected in West Kalimantan, Peninsular Malaysia and the central parts of Sumatra. Due to cloud cover, the full extent of the hotspot and smoke haze situation over the southern ASEAN region cannot be determined.

Weather and Haze Outlook

Over the next few days, dry weather are expected to persist over the Mekong sub-region, except over northeastern parts of the sub-region where isolated showers are forecast. The hotspots and smoke haze situation in the sub-region is expected to stay elevated over areas experiencing pro-longed periods of dry weather, with continued risk of transboundary haze occurrence. The prevailing winds over the northern ASEAN region are expected to be light and variable in direction, except over the Philippines where the winds are forecast to blow from the northeast to east.

Meanwhile over the southern ASEAN region, showers are expected to continue, except over Peninsular Malaysia, as well as the northern and western parts of Borneo where it is forecast to be relatively drier. The prevailing winds over the southern ASEAN region are expected to blow from the northeast or west.

  • All maps are to be used solely for displaying meteorological/geophysical information, and not for any other purpose. All maps are not to scale and for illustrative purpose only.
  • The hotspots depicted on the map are derived from the NOAA satellite and they represent locations with possible fires. Hotspots may go undetected due to cloudy conditions or incomplete satellite pass.
  • At Alert Level 0 and Alert Level 1, the regional haze situation is updated once a day at 0900 UTC. The regional haze situation is updated more frequently at 0300 UTC and 0900 UTC upon activation of Alert Level 2 or Alert Level 3. Updates at 0300 UTC display hotspot information from night-time passes of the NOAA-20 satellite. Fewer hotspots were typically detected at night as fire activities usually peak during the day.
  • Reprocessed satellite data will be availed at a later timing. The hotspot information derived from satellite data reprocessed may differ slightly from that received near real-time but reprocessing is necessary for better quality data.
  • The 2500 ft winds (depicted by arrows) are model analysis winds.

Seasonal Forecast for February – April 2026

Summary of Outlook

The Northeast Monsoon prevailed over the ASEAN region, with low-level winds blowing predominantly from the northwest or northeast, and typically persists over the ASEAN region until late March. During this period, the northern ASEAN region experiences its traditional dry season as the monsoon rainband remains south of the Equator. While showers are typical over the southern ASEAN region during its traditional wet season, this area can experience periods of drier conditions during the dry phase of the Northeast Monsoon, which typically takes place during February to late March. Around late March or early April, the prevailing low-level winds gradually weaken to become light and variable in direction as the Northeast Monsoon transitions into inter-monsoon conditions, when the showers gradually return to the northern ASEAN region.

For February 2026, above-normal rainfall is predicted for much of the northeastern Maritime Continent. For February – April 2026 the above-normal rainfall is predicted to persist, along with below-normal rainfall for much of the central Maritime Continent. La Niña conditions are predicted to weaken and then transition to ENSO-neutral in February – March 2026. La Niña events tend to bring wetter conditions to parts of Southeast Asia. Above-normal temperature is predicted for most of the Maritime Continent and northern and western Mainland Southeast Asia for FMA 2026.

With near- to below-normal rainfall predicted over the Mekong sub-region during the outlook period, further intensification of hotspots and smoke haze activities, with a risk of transboundary smoke haze occurrence, can be expected over fire-prone areas experiencing prolonged dry conditions. Over the southern ASEAN region, overall hotspot activity is expected to remain subdued. However, it could increase, with localised smoke plume occurrences, during periods of drier conditions under the dry phase of the Northeast Monsoon, especially in areas where below-normal rainfall is predicted.

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