Malaysian authorities issued warnings Tuesday, November 25, 2025, for intensifying floods and additional heavy rainfall in the country’s eastern and northern regions, urging residents to prepare for continued localized inundations through late November.
The national meteorology department, METMalaysia, has forecasted a new wave of heavy rain to begin Tuesday, November 25, extending until November 28. This will primarily affect eastern states such as Terengganu and Kelantan, as well as northern states.
An existing flood situation, which began affecting several states last Saturday, has already escalated. Eight states are currently impacted, with Kelantan reporting the highest number of affected residents.
METMalaysia Director-General Dr. Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip stated that continuous heavy rains could further worsen the current flood conditions. He noted that while the first wave of this year’s Northeast Monsoon is projected to be less severe than the catastrophic 2021 disaster overall, specific localities could still experience intense flooding.
Dr. Hisham explained that monsoon winds carrying this rainfall are originating from mainland China.
He clarified that the current situation is not yet critical because these Chinese winds are not coinciding with easterly winds from the Pacific Ocean. A simultaneous occurrence of both typically results in much more extreme rainfall.
METMalaysia anticipates the Northeast Monsoon this year will bring approximately five to seven distinct waves of heavy rain.
The severe floods of 2021, one of Malaysia’s worst natural disasters, were triggered by more than two days of continuous heavy rainfall beginning December 18, 2021.
Those floods caused widespread damage across many areas in Malaysia’s central valley and eastern states.