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By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI   PETALING JAYA: Kota Marudu in Sabah has become Malaysia’s hottest location with the biggest number of high temperature alerts so far this year. The district located 130km north of the state capital Kota Kinabalu has received nine alerts since January. They comprise eight Level 1 Alerts and one Level 2 Alert, according to figures from the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia). Limbang in Sarawak received the second highest number of alerts (8) and followed by Machang in Kelantan (6). Six locations each recorded five heat alerts, namely Baling (Kedah), Kampar (Perak), Marudi and Sibu (Sarawak), and Sandakan and Telupid (Sabah). A Level 1 (Yellow) alert is issued when the temperature in a particular location hits between 35 to 37 degrees Celsius for at least three consecutive days. A Level 2 (Orange) alert means a location is in a heatwave with temperatures going above 37 but remaining below 40 degrees Ce...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Kota Marudu recorded the highest number of heat alerts in the country this year, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia). The district in Sabah logged a total of nine heat alerts as of Aug 3, followed closely by Limbang in Sarawak (8) and Machang in Kelantan (6). Nationwide, a total of 121 heat alerts were issued so far this year. This marks a dramatic drop from the 1,597 alerts recorded during the same period in 2024. MetMalaysia’s data also showed that Sabah topped the list of states with the highest number of alerts in 2025, recording 35 alerts.  This was followed by Sarawak with 29 alerts and Kedah with 17. Last year, Kedah led the heat alert chart with 472 alerts, followed by Kelantan (274) and Pahang (188). The majority of alerts issued this year were Level 1 at 120 alerts. Level 1 alert indicates a maximum daily temperature between 35°C and 37°C for at least thre...