According to a representative of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), Sibu Airport was not affected by the situation.

“The weather was fine at Sibu Airport during the storm, which hit the town area.

“There were only showers, recorded after 1900 hrs (7pm),” said the CAAM representative when contacted today.

On Wednesday evening, Sibu town was hit by heavy rain and strong winds, which uprooted trees and triggered floods in several areas.

Sibu Division Disaster Management Committee (SDDMC) chairman, Wong Hee Sieng, yesterday said the extent of damage caused by the storm was still being evaluated as reports were still coming in.

On March 20, Malaysian Meteorological (MetMalaysia) Department director-general Muhammad Helmi Abdullah said thunderstorms, heavy rains and strong winds could strike during the monsoon transition phase, beginning March 23 and would last until mid-May.

He said they would mostly occur during the evenings and the early hours of the night, over the western central parts of Sarawak, western Sabah, as well as the interior and west coast states in Peninsular Malaysia.