43 Provinces Under Warning as Bangkok Faces 60% Storm Coverage
Thailand's Meteorological Department issued a weather warning covering 43 provinces and areas, including Bangkok and its vicinity, for the 24-hour period from 6am on August 30 to 6am on August 31. Ten provinces were named for very heavy rain: Chiang Rai, Phayao, Nan, Tak, Bueng Kan, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Nayok, Chanthaburi and Trat. Bangkok and its vicinity faced thunderstorms over more than 60% of the area, with isolated heavy rain and temperatures ranging from 25-26C overnight to a high of 31-35C.
The department attributed the rain to a monsoon trough moving down over the North and upper Northeast, running into a low-pressure area off the northern Vietnam coast in the Gulf of Tonkin, with a fairly strong southwest monsoon also covering the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand. It also issued a special multi-day advisory on heavy to very heavy rain over upper Thailand, running from August 29 to September 2, and warned that accumulated rainfall could bring flash floods and forest runoff, with low-lying areas at greatest risk.
Flash Floods Trap Tourists in Saraburi as Pickup Truck Swept Into Canal
The warning proved accurate within hours. Flash flooding hit Kaeng Khoi and Muak Lek districts of Saraburi province on the evening of August 30, trapping tourists at a resort in Cha-om subdistrict after floodwater rushed in with little warning. The Saraburi Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office coordinated with district officials and a village headman to move the tourists to safety.
In a second incident in Muak Lek district, floodwater pushed a pickup truck off a weir into the Muak Lek Canal, trapping three people inside. Locals and officials rescued all three safely, though recovery of the vehicle was still underway. Authorities urged residents near hillsides, streams and low-lying land to stay alert as forecasters expect widespread thunderstorms to continue, with Bangkok facing a 70% chance of storms into the following day.
