TMD Warning No. 8 Flags Flash Flood Risk Through July 30
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issued Announcement No. 8 on the morning of July 27, warning of heavy to very heavy rain across Thailand with impacts lasting through July 30. The agency said widespread heavy rain is expected over the period, with very heavy downpours possible in parts of the Northeast, Central region, East and the western coast of the South. The conditions are being driven by a monsoon trough lying across the North and upper Northeast, combined with a southwest monsoon over the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand that is strengthening further. It is the eighth such warning the department has issued this month as a persistent pattern of monsoon troughs and strengthening winds has kept much of the country under successive rain alerts, following a similar warning issued July 25 that noted Typhoon Noul was tracking toward southern China before making landfall in Guangdong province on July 26 without entering Thailand.
The TMD urged the public to watch for danger from heavy to very heavy rain and accumulated rainfall, which may trigger flash floods and forest run-off, particularly in foothill areas near waterways and in low-lying land. Rough seas are also forecast: waves in the upper Andaman Sea are expected to reach 2-3 metres and exceed 3 metres in thunderstorms, while the upper Gulf of Thailand and lower Andaman Sea will see waves of about 2 metres, rising above 2 metres in stormy areas. Mariners across the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand were advised to proceed with caution and avoid thunderstorm areas, with small boats in the upper Andaman Sea told to remain ashore for the duration of the warning.
Bangkok Faces Afternoon Storms as Heaviest Rain Hits North and Northeast
For the 24 hours from 6am on July 27 to 6am on July 28, the TMD forecast thunderstorms covering 70% of the North, with heavy rain expected in Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai, Tak, Nan, Phitsanulok and Phetchabun, and temperatures ranging from 22-27 degrees Celsius to highs of 30-36C. The Northeast was forecast to see the same 70% thunderstorm coverage, with heavy rain in Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Yasothon, Amnat Charoen, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani, with temperatures of 23-25C to 31-35C. The East was forecast to see thunderstorms over 70% of the region with heavy rain in Chanthaburi and Trat, where seas will run about 2 metres and exceed 2 metres during thunderstorms.
The Central region was forecast to see thunderstorms over 40% of the area, mainly in Uthai Thani, Chai Nat, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi, with highs of 34-37C. Along the South's western coast, thunderstorms were forecast over 60% of the region with heavy rain in Ranong and Phang Nga, while the eastern coast of the South was forecast to see storms over 40% of the area in Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon and Surat Thani. For Bangkok and its surrounding provinces, the TMD forecast thunderstorms covering 40% of the area, with temperatures ranging from 26-28C overnight to highs of 34-36C and southwesterly winds of 10-25 km/h. Residents in the capital and nationwide were advised to keep watching for updated TMD announcements, with the department's warning period for heavy to very heavy rain remaining in effect through July 30.
