Nakhon Si Thammarat - Heavy rain triggers flash-flood alert
Heavy rain triggers flash-flood alert
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Nakhon Si Thammarat residents have been warned of flash floods and mudslides in low-lying areas following heavy rain, and tourists have been advised to stay away from waterfalls.
Residents of Lan Saka, Phipun and Chawang districts and Chang Khlang, Nopphitam and Phra Phrome sub-districts have been put on alert, provincial Governor Wichon Thongsong said.
Rains in the South are becoming more frequent and the wet season is expected to hit earlier than usual.
A Meteorological Department statement said the whole country could expect rain in the second week of May. Tropical storms expected to reach Thailand will bring even heavier downpours.
However, the Northeast and eastern parts of the country might experience a brief drought in June before frequent rain again in August and September.
Seven upper-South provinces have been hit by hot-season storms. A 24-hour emergency centre can be reached at 1784, a senior Surat Thani relief assistance official said.
Evacuation and relief drills have been held in Satun. Flat-bottom boats and 5,000 survival kits have been readied for emergencies, provincial Governor Khwanchai Wongnitikorn said.
In Phuket, drills have been carried out and the public is advised to monitor weather reports throughout next week.
A maritime warning is in effect for the Gulf of Thailand.
The Nation
Bangkok jammed up by heavy rain
Bangkok jammed up by heavy rain
The Traffic Control Centre reported severe traffic congestions after a heavy downpour during violent thunderstorm that hit Bangkok early on Monday, leading to city-wide flooding.
Long lines of cars clogged almost all main roads, particularly in the eastern suburbs of Ladprao, Ramkamhaeng, Bang Kapi and Bang Na.
Traffic was reported as exceptionally heavy on roads around Chokchai 4 and Bangna, northern Chatuchak, and all along Sukhumvit Road within Bangkok.
There were traffic accidents on most of the roads, as rains turned the dry roads slick.
In addition, the construction of the Skytrain extension along eastern Sukhumvit caused heavier traffic, with heavy jams reported on Chalerm Mahanakorn Highway.
Bangkok Post
Bangkok braces for more rain
Bangkok braces for more rain
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Bangkok council staff have their hands full trying to contain flooding caused by heavy, unseasonal rain, while the weather bureau has warned most of the country to expect wet and gusty conditions.
Heavy rain has buffeted the capital for several days in the middle of the hot season, leading Deputy Governor Bannasopit Mekwichai to believe that it was the result of global warming.
Governor Apirak Kosayodhin said heavy rains and associated thunderstorms across the capital yesterday morning had created temporary flooding.
There was traffic congestion between Lat Phrao 87 and Lat Phrao 122 where flooding was bad. City council workers quickly drained the water.
Apirak said the stormy weather was expected to continue.
The city's Nong Khaem district saw the heaviest rainfall with 110.5 millimetres between Sunday and yesterday morning. Thawee Watthana district received 66mm during the same period.
Total rainfall for the city this year is now 140mm.
The BMA flood prevention and mitigation centre was reactivated on April 1 and is working with city police to cope with road congestion. It is checking more than 1,400 advertising hoardings for safety.
Apirak said 120 trees had been felled by the recent storms but no other damage had been recorded.
The Bangkok Emergency Service Team is handling around-the-clock road accidents and stalled vehicles. It and the Metropolitan Electricity Authority are prepared for power cuts to floodgates, Apirak said.
Yan Nawa district chief Sanob Tangjitsomboon said almost 22 kilometres of drainpipes would be cleared in 32 sois between now and July 17 to reduce wet-season flooding.
The Meteorological Department warned heavy rain would prevail in Eastern, South and Central Thailand until Thursday.
Flash-flood warnings have been issued for Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Phatthalung.
Temperatures in the capital are forecast between 24 and 35 degrees Celsius, the department said.
Public Health Deputy Minister Morakot Kornkasem said hospitals and clinics were prepared for flood-related illnesses.
The Nation
Worst storm in 46 years set to strike
Worst storm in 46 years set to strike
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The Meteorological Depart-ment yesterday warned upper-southern provinces to be prepared for a tropical depression that would bring the heaviest rainfall in 46 years.
Chief Supareuk Tansriratana-wong said an active low-pressure area in the Gulf of Thailand had gathered strength to become a tropical depression by yesterday afternoon. He warned it would cause very heavy rain similar to that experienced in May 1961.
The depression was due to hit land between Prachuap Khiri Khan and Chumphon at 8pm last night. Residents of the two provinces were warned to be on alert for flash-floods, especially in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Bang Saphan, Bang Saphan Noi and Thap Sakae districts and Chumphon for the next few days.
In addition, Bangkok and the provinces of Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Suphan Buri, Phetchaburi, Ranong and Phang Nga were put on alert for flooding.
Supareuk said the Tanaosi Mountain Range in Prachuap Khiri Khan had yielded reddish water, indicating heavy rainfall could cause floods in the lower surrounding areas.
He urged owners of small boats not to leave harbour and captains of bigger vessels to be cautious until tomorrow as high waves would hit the upper Gulf of Thailand.
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department chief Anucha Mokawet urged governors of 25 provinces to prepare for heavy rain, floods, strong winds, landslides and high waves.
Meanwhile, a six-tonne rock crushed a 32-year-old cook to death in Trang province's Palian district yesterday morning. Police rushed to the Excite Resort on Koh Lao Liang to find Pratheep Chitjaidiew, 32, underneath the rock, which fell on the kitchen.
With the stormy weather expected to linger for a few days and the rainy season approaching, Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosa-yodhin yesterday met with agencies to discuss flood measures, especially for the city's 14 major flood-prone areas and 300 other spots with chronic flooding problems.
Apirak sai Bang Khunthien district had the most rainfall, at 97.5 millimetres from Monday until yesterday morning.
The Nation
Phuket Storm warning issued
Storm warning issued
PHUKET: The Thai Meteorological Department this morning issued a regional weather warning for Southern Thailand after tracking a tropical depression that has been causing unusually rainy conditions in the region over the past few days.
At 10 am this morning the depression was centered about 300 kilometers west of Chumphon. The system, with maximum wind gusts of about 55kmh, was moving west-northwest at about 10kmh.
The center is expected to move to near the west of northern Thailand tomorrow and Friday.
The warning did not list Phuket among the provinces in the south at risk of flashfloods and flooding. The provinces listed as at risk were: Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Ranong, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang and Satun.
The forecast until midnight is for almost widespread thundershowers and heavy rain, with a minimum temperature of 23ºC and maximum of 31ºC. Winds will be southwesterly at 20-35kmh.
All ships should proceed with caution through Friday as wave heights of two to three meters are likely in the Upper Andaman Sea.
Click here for satellite imagery and storm tracking data of the depression.
Phuket Gazette
Upper South swamped by 'climate change low'
Upper South swamped by 'climate change low'
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A deep depression in the Gulf of Thailand caused torrential rain in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, damaging 10 houses and prompting local authorities to evacuate residents from possible flash floods.
Phetchaburi's Kaeng Krajan National Park closed the Pa La-oo Waterfall until tomorrow "for tourists' safety" and Chumphon's Pathiu district saw 20 roads and several bridges inundated.
The tropical depression was unusual in that it gathered strength in the Gulf before crossing the peninsula on Tuesday. It unleashed heavy rain from Bang Saphan to Hua Hin. Many villages were flooded and gusty winds damaged 10 houses late on Tuesday night. The front is now over the Andaman Sea.
Dr Anon Sanitwong na Ayutthaya, director of the Southeast Asian bureau of System for Analysis, Research and Training (START), said that the depression was believed to be caused by climate change, as most depressions from the South China Sea hit Thailand in September to October. "This depression in the Gulf was abnormal, it came at an unusual time," he said.
Ban Krud Tambon officials had local residents evacuated to higher ground after two days of heavy rain, amid fears of flash floods from the Tanaosri mountain range.
Hua Hin weather station chief, Sutheep Kaewsornchai, said heavy downfalls had covered 80 per cent of the district for three days and would continue for another day or so. Total rainfall so far was measured as 242 millilitres.
The strong currents caused a bridge on the Hua Hin-Nong Plub Road to subside and become impassable. And a two-kilometre stretch of Petchkasem Highway's Bangkok-bound lane, from Soi Hua Hin 102 to Hua Hin Wittayalai School, was covered with 50-centimetres of water.
Chumphon disaster prevention chief, Veroj Saithongtae, said heavy downpours since Tuesday night had badly affected Tha Sae and Pathiu districts, damaging 20 roads. Several bridges were impassable.
But Chumphon irrigation chief Suraphan Mansornphlaeng was confident floodwaters would not reach Chumphon city, thanks to His Majesty the King's Nong Yai "Monkey-Cheeks" project and the Hua Wang-Panungtuk Canal.
The weather department yesterday warned residents in 10 provinces on the Andaman coast, from Satun up to Kanchanaburi, to brace for heavy rain and flash floods.
The depression was expected to move to north and western areas of Thailand today and tomorrow, and bring more heavy rain.
Mineral Resources Department head Apichai Chawacharoenphan warned people living near mountains and landslide-prone areas to be alert for possible disasters.
In Phang Nga, an emergency rescue centre was set up and heavy machinery was in place near the landslide-prone Khao Sok in Takua Pa and Kapong districts, while the stormy weather prompted officials to urge boats and island-hopping tourists to stay ashore for a few days.
Meteorological Department chief Supareuk Tansriratanawong said statistics from 1951 to 2006 showed that only one major depression had hit Thailand in April - that was back in 1961 - and only six tropical depressions had hit during May.
Most depressions formed in the South China Sea before passing over Thailand. He also said the latest low pressure gathered power in the Gulf, which was unusual.
The Nation
North warned of flash flood danger
North warned of flash flood danger
(BangkokPost.com) - Residents of the northern provinces were warned of possible flash floods over the next few days as a tropical depression swings over that region on Thursday.
The Meteorological Department said that the depression, centered over the Andaman Sea, was about 650 kilometres southwest of Tak province as of Thursday morning, and moving northwards at about 10 kilometres per hour.
Isolated heavy and very heavy rain were expected in the western part of the Central to North regions, and will probably hit Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Tak, Kamphaengphet, Uthai Thani and Kanchanaburi provinces.
High waves were forecast for the Gulf of Thailand.
Serious flood hits Hua Hin: disaster-zone declaration is being considered
Serious flood hits Hua Hin: disaster-zone declaration is being considered
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Local administrative leaders asked Prachuap Khiri Khan Prasong Pitoonkijja to declare Hua Hin a disaster zone Thursday's night.
The request came amid worsening floods in the area.
Several spots in Hua Hin, which is located in Prachuap Khiri Khan, were under water. A local bridge was severed.
Floods hit after rain poured down on the area.
The Nation
