ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS: Singapore has a lot of thunder and lightning. Why?

QUESTION: According to the world weather column in the Mail, Singapore has a lot of thunder and lightning. Why?

Singapore has been called ‘the lightning capital of the world’ and is subject to terrific storms. 

It experiences between 171 and 186 days of lightning a year, based on records at the Changi climate station. 

In 2021, Singapore had the highest lightning density in the world, with 163.08 events per square km.

In general, there are more thunderstorms in tropical regions. Singapore has at least two major rain-bearing weather systems. 

In 2021, Singapore had the highest lightning density in the world, with 163.08 events per square km (file image)

Singapore (pictured) has at least two major rain-bearing weather systems

In the first, localised thunderstorms are brought about by wind carrying moisture from the sea inland. 

The moist air mixes with air rising from the hot land, condensing to create thunderstorms. 

The second is the Sumatra squalls. Here, strong winds formed over Indonesia’s Sumatra island and the Strait of Malacca manifest as a line of thunderstorms that moves eastward, towards Malaysia and Singapore.

Rory Davies, Chipping Norton, Oxon 

QUESTION: What is the ‘Muggins rule’ of cribbage, as mentioned in an episode of All Creatures Great And Small?

Cribbage is a classic card game for two to four players, where players aim to score points by forming specific combinations. Points are tracked on a pegboard, with scoring based on pairs, runs, flushes and totals of 15.

Muggins is a commonly used but optional rule in competitive play. If a player fails to claim their full score on any turn, the opponent may call out ‘Muggins!’ and win those points.

The term muggins is thought to come from the slang term ‘mug’, meaning ‘a dupe or fool’.

Don Crofts, Maidenhead, Berks 

QUESTION: How were pit ponies cared for in the coalmining era?

Further to earlier answers, my dad was a child of ten in the early 1900s, looking after pit ponies at a colliery in the north of England.

His job was to take them into the pit to give the men their bait (lunch). He had a favourite pony, Major, and my dad often talked of him even after he moved to London. Reading about pit ponies has brought back so many memories for me!

A. Coe, Ferndown, Dorset