bakedbean

Looks like we are into the serious wet stuff now (at least in Penang) and how nice it is to get some cooler temperatures.

Yesterday it was chucking it down for a large part of the day, and during the night also. This morning it's still quite heavy.

I've been planning a Sri Lanka holiday with a friend who travels there quite a bit and we would've been there now but plans changed for both of us. She's gone back to ol' Blighty for a while, and I have other things going on in Penang right now.

Well, that was lucky for me, as Sri Lanka is getting it's heaviest rains in a quarter of a century with torrential downpours and, apparently, half a million people fleeing their homes. What a disaster
'Half a million flee homes' as Sri Lanka grapples with deadly floods, landslides - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

WiredTight

Are there certain areas of Penang/Georgetown/Gurney...that are prone to flooding ???

JC3

Yes there are, but they are generally not the areas where Expats live. That said if you are thinking of buying/renting/converting an old shophouse in George Town be careful. There are a lot of potential pitfalls and problems with damp.
One beautifully converted shophouse near Armenian Street I visited had a very attractive tiled floor. But I noticed it appeared to stick to my shoes. It turned out to be damp all over, coming up through the floor. Something to do with being very near sea level perhaps.

Here's a BUILDING CONDITION ASSESSMENT AND DEFECT ANALYSIS
ON HERITAGE SHOPHOUSES IN PENANG, MALAYSIA: CASE
STUDY for reference:

http://annals.fih.upt.ro/pdf-full/20...-2012-3-77.pdf

JC3

bakedbean

Some parts of Georgetown for sure. The area running from Gurney through Tanjung Tokong, Tanjung Bungah, Batu Ferringhi, is usually OK.

Once or twice a year you will get some almighty storm and then you'll get some trees blown down. That can happen anywhere.

SushiFan

The last few weeks saw quite often some thunder showers in the evening hours. What surprises me most is the very sudden increase in wind speeds when these squalls arrive. You have less than a minute to close all doors and windows before the wind takes care of them....

bakedbean

There are some pretty hefty storms sometimes...just once or twice a year there willl be a scarey one. Not sure if you were around in Penang in 2013 when part of the UMNO building came down and killed someone. Boy, that was some storm.
Storm wreaks havoc in Penang | Free Malaysia Today

SushiFan

Thanks for warning me BB. I was not aware of that (and wasn't here in 2013).