REVIEW OF REGIONAL HAZE SITUATION IN ASEAN REGION (May 2023)
In May 2023, inter-monsoon period gradually transitioned into the Southwest Monsoon. Over the northern ASEAN region, dry conditions continued over most of the Mekong sub-region in early May 2023 where moderate to dense smoke haze was observed. Showers returned in the second week of May 2023. The ASMC Alert Level for the sub-region was downgraded to Alert Level 1 and subsequently the end of dry season for the sub-region was declared at the end of May.
Periods of drier conditions began to set in over some parts of the southern ASEAN region from last week of May. A slight increase in hotspot activity was detected, following the gradual onset of Southwest Monsoon conditions. ASMC activated Alert Level 1 for the southern ASEAN region, signaling the start of the traditional dry season at the end of May. Hotspot counts in the southern ASEAN region were slightly higher than the counts in previous years due to the gradual onset of the traditional dry season towards the end of May 2023.