Every northeast monsoon, the same thing happens in group chats: a forwarded screenshot of a river, a voice note from someone's cousin, and nobody quite sure whether to move the car. Malaysia actually has official sources for all of this. The trouble is that there are three of them, run by three different agencies, and each answers a different question.
This guide covers which one to open, what the levels mean, and what to do with the answer. If you live on the east coast or near a river that has flooded before, set these up now, not when the water is at the gate.
The three sources, and what each one is for
Think of it as a sequence: rain, rivers, then relief.
| Question | Where to check | Run by |
|---|---|---|
| Is heavy rain coming? | MetMalaysia website and the myCuaca app | Malaysian Meteorological Department |
| Is my river rising? | Public Infobanjir website and the MyPublicInfoBanjir app | Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS) |
| Where do we go, and who is already there? | NADMA Disaster Portal and JKM InfoBencana | NADMA and the Social Welfare Department (JKM) |
A rain warning is a forecast. A river level is a measurement. The relief centre list is the response. Most bad decisions in a flood come from treating one of these as if it were another.
MetMalaysia's colour warnings: yellow, orange, red
MetMalaysia issues rain warnings by district in three colours. As the department's levels have been described in news coverage, yellow is an alert that continuous rain is expected, orange means bad weather with continuous heavy rain, and red is the danger level.
Reports have put rough numbers on the higher tiers. A 2018 report cited orange as continuous heavy rain for more than six hours with at least 60mm of rainfall, and red as continuous heavy rain of more than 240mm a day. Treat those as a guide to scale, not a precise rule; the department's own warning text on met.gov.my is what counts.
What matters in practice:
- Yellow is a reason to check again later and to know your route out.
- Orange is when to move the car to higher ground, charge power banks and pack documents.
- Red is when you stop waiting for the river to tell you what you already know.
The warnings come through the myCuaca app and the MetMalaysia website, and Bernama has listed the MET hotline as 1-300-22-1638.
Public Infobanjir: reading the river level
Public Infobanjir is JPS's real-time network of rainfall and river-level stations. There is also a MyPublicInfoBanjir app on Google Play and the App Store. JPS said in September 2025 that rainfall and river data update every 15 minutes.
Each river station has thresholds. In JPS reports you will see rivers described as reaching the alert (waspada), warning (amaran) and danger (bahaya) levels, with normal below all three.
Two habits make this useful:
- Find your nearest station before the season, not during it. Note its name and its danger level. A reading of "58.11 metres" means nothing until you know the danger mark for that station.
- Watch the direction, not just the number. A river sitting just under the warning level and still climbing after hours of rain is a worse sign than one at warning level that has started to fall.
For a sense of how fast this moves: in November 2025, Bernama reported several east coast rivers at alert, warning and danger levels at once, including Sungai Galas in Gua Musang at 58.11m against an alert level of 56m.
Relief centres: the NADMA and JKM portals
When people are moved, they go to a PPS (Pusat Pemindahan Sementara), a temporary relief centre, usually a school or community hall.
Two official portals cover this side:
- NADMA Disaster Portal: the National Disaster Management Agency's overview of disaster status, floods, landslides and storms, victim statistics, PPS locations and safety guidance.
- JKM InfoBencana: the Social Welfare Department's list of activated PPS, with victim numbers by state and district. It also lets you search whether a person is registered at a PPS, which is the single most useful feature if you are trying to locate an elderly parent from KL.
Your district disaster management committee and the local PPS will usually also push updates through community WhatsApp groups. Use those for speed, and the portals to confirm.
What to do before the water arrives
Floods punish the people who wait for certainty. A short list, done once:
- Put documents in one waterproof bag: MyKad, passports, birth certificates, land titles, insurance policies, and a photo of each on your phone.
- Write down numbers on paper: 999 for emergencies, your district office, and a family contact outside the flood zone.
- Know your nearest PPS and how you would get there if the main road goes under.
- Move the car early. Most flood write-offs are cars that were moved an hour too late.
- Switch off the mains if water is about to enter the house, and do not touch switches or sockets while standing in water.
The danger does not end when the water does. Our piece on the health risks that come after floods recede covers leptospirosis, contaminated water and the clean-up injuries that send people to hospital. If you had a holiday booked on the east coast, see what to settle before the islands close for the monsoon.
FAQ
Where can I check flood levels in Malaysia?
On JPS's Public Infobanjir website (publicinfobanjir.water.gov.my) or the MyPublicInfoBanjir app, which show rainfall and river levels at stations across the country.
What do MetMalaysia's yellow, orange and red warnings mean?
Yellow is an alert that continuous rain is expected, orange signals bad weather with continuous heavy rain, and red is the danger level. Check the warning text on MetMalaysia's website or the myCuaca app for the details for your district.
How do I find which relief centres (PPS) are open?
JKM's InfoBencana portal lists activated PPS and lets you search for people registered there. NADMA's Disaster Portal also shows PPS locations and disaster status.
What number do I call in a flood emergency?
Call 999 for police, fire and rescue, or medical help.
