Currently, MetMalaysia can predict such weather for seven days in advance.

Natural resources and environmental sustainability minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the improved timeframe would help provide better flood warnings and aid authorities in preparing for such disasters.

“The system will be upgraded with advanced computing technology from the US. This will allow us to predict disaster risks two weeks in advance,” he said when debating the ministry’s budget for 2025 today.

He was responding to questions by several MPs who wanted to know what action the government was taking to better prepare for floods.

Nik Nazmi said the upgrading of MetMalaysia’s technology was part of the National Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre’s initiative to better manage flood risks and other weather-related disasters.

“The updated system will also improve warnings for landslides, flash floods, heatwaves, and strong winds,” he said.

He also said the government is expanding weather monitoring networks in Kuching, Sarawak, and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, to track weather more accurately across the country.

Nik Nazmi said MetMalaysia tested its improved system recently, when an early warning for heavy rainfall on the east coast was issued on Nov 19, a week before it happened.

However, he said, the department did not expect the rain to be as severe as it was.

He also said he had ordered MetMalaysia to use popular platforms like TikTok to reach younger audiences, as platforms like Facebook and Instagram might not work.