More Than 300 Cooling Centres Ready If Singapore Faces a Heatwave

If a heatwave strikes Singapore, more than 300 cooling centres will open across the island to help keep people safe. These centres will be air-conditioned and have seats for anyone who needs to escape the heat. The plan is part of Singapore's first-ever national heatwave response, managed by a brand-new government office focused on dealing with rising temperatures.

The cooling centres will be set up in community centres, some Residents' Committee or Residents' Network centres, and certain indoor sports halls. The government will not reveal the exact locations until a heatwave is officially declared. Once a heatwave warning is issued, people will be told where to go through the national weather app called myENV.

The public will be warned at least four days before a heatwave hits. If a cooling centre gets too full, elderly people and other vulnerable groups will be given priority. Community workers will also check on seniors and guide them to the nearest centre.

Singapore counts a heatwave as three days in a row where the highest daily temperature averages 35 degrees Celsius, with a daily mean of at least 29 degrees Celsius. The last time Singapore had a heatwave was in April 2016. Right now, the country is dealing with both the dry south-west monsoon season and an El Niño weather pattern, which is making things hotter and drier than usual.

Scientists say this El Niño is growing into a very powerful event, sometimes called a 'Godzilla' El Niño. The National Environment Agency has warned that the hottest temperatures could come between March and May 2027, when the El Niño begins to weaken. That period already tends to be the hottest time of year in Singapore, so officials are keeping a close watch.

Calvin Chong, the divisional director who leads the new Heat Resilience Policy Office, said the office is making sure the heatwave plan can run smoothly when needed. The office currently has five staff members from the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. Chong explained that heat is no longer just seen as a health issue — it can also hurt workers' productivity and damage buildings and roads.

During heatwaves, schools may switch to home-based learning, either partly or fully. Pre-schools and nursing homes should stop outdoor activities between 11am and 4pm, when heat stress is highest. Extra fans may also be sent to senior care homes if needed.

The new office has several big goals for the future. It plans to create a heat resilience action plan covering health, infrastructure, the economy, and social services. It will also look at how heat affects important systems like pipes, roads, and buildings, after recent heatwaves in Europe caused cracked roads and melted surfaces.

The office will also run research on how heat affects different groups of people, such as the elderly and children. This research could lead to more specific advice for vulnerable people, on top of the general heat stress advisory introduced in 2023. Under that advisory, people are told to take breaks in the shade and wear light clothing when heat stress is high.

A new $40 million funding programme called 'Adapting to Heat Impacts' will also be launched as part of Singapore's Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 plan. The programme will study how heat affects public health, the economy, and society. An open call for researchers to apply for this funding will go out by the end of 2026.

Chong noted that studying heat in tropical countries like Singapore has not been done enough in the past. Singapore researchers have already begun looking at topics like how heat slows down construction workers, why indoor temperatures can sometimes be hotter than outdoors, and even how traditional Chinese medicine might help people cope with heat. Chong said the knowledge gained could help not just Singapore, but the whole region.