BANGKOK, Thailand – Monsoon rains will lash 36 provinces on August 2, with flash floods and towering waves putting lives at risk.
The Thai Meteorological Department issued the urgent warning today. A monsoon trough stretching from northern Thailand across Laos to a low-pressure area off Vietnam is driving the destruction. A strong southwest monsoon is also pumping moist air over the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.
Flash flood threat for hills and lowlands
The heaviest danger lurks on slopes and in low-lying areas.
Accumulated rain could trigger sudden flash floods and torrents along waterways.
Officials urge people to monitor the weather closely.
North gets the worst of it
Thunderstorms with locally torrential rain will pound 11 northern provinces, including Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Phayao, Nan, Tak, Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, Uttaradit and Phitsanulok. Temperatures hover between 23 and 36 degrees Celsius, with light southwest winds.
The northeast is also in the firing line. Provinces such as Loei, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nong Bua Lamphu, Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan face similar storms, with highs around 35 degrees.
Central plains and east coast on alert
The central region will see thunderstorms hit Nakhon Sawan, Lop Buri, Saraburi, Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi. Temperatures climb to 35 degrees with weak southwest winds. On the eastern Gulf coast, areas including Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Chanthaburi and Trat get heavy showers at 34 degrees.
Sea conditions turn dangerous along that coast. Winds strengthen to 15 to 30 km/h, whipping up waves of about one meter. Inside thunderstorm cells, waves could top two meters. The department warns boat captains to steer well clear of storm zones.
Andaman Sea and south see rough seas
The fiercest storms batter the west coast from Ranong and Phang Nga down to Phuket. Southwest winds gusting to 35 km/h push waves to between one and two meters. Near thunderstorms, breakers could exceed two meters – a direct threat to small boats.
Further southeast, in provinces like Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Yala and Narathiwat, rainfall is patchy. Winds around 30 km/h produce waves of about one meter, but those can still turn deadly when storms roll in.