Chiang Mai hit with severe weather

The harsh weather that has swept through the northern provinces of Thailand continued this weekend, with many villages in Chiang Rai province being inundated with water runoff from the mountains. Flash floods swept away structures and even small domestic animals as water levels reached upwards of one metre, with over 500 residences affected by the flooding.

Chiang Mai province suffered damage to longan orchards, where the fruit crops, though acknowledged to have suffered losses, are also expected to recover quickly. Conversely, rice farmers welcomed the deluge as recent dry weather had put rice crops in jeopardy.

With the rainy season well established, meteorological reports from a control centre in Mae Hong Son province say the season actually started a week earlier than usual, and that this year’s rainfall is expected to be heavy. Officials at the meteorological centre say that visitors and residents to the area can expect more than one severe storm this year, including the possibility of cyclones, a prediction that neighbouring Myanmar has all-too-painfully fulfilled this past weekend.