Stories tagged with weather
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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.
Posted by: DaveB on 07 May 2008, 11:25 -
Parts of Thailand on flood alert
More than a dozen provinces in north and central Thailand have been put on a state of alert for potential flash floods and mudslides between Sunday and Tuesday due to nearing tropical cyclone, Nargis.
The seasonal cyclone is currently edging its way towards Thailand from Burma according to Thailand's Meteorological Department.
The report said that cyclone Nargis was around 400kms southwest of the Thai/Burma border at Mae Hong Son province early Saturday morning and was moving at a speed of 15kph in an east - north-easterly direction.
Provinces in the northern and central western regions of Thailand are expected to receive heavy rains anytime between now and Tuesday. Tourists in risk-prone areas of the following provinces should stay on alert and heed any local weather warnings:
Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Tak, Kamphaengphet, Lamphun, Lampang, Phrae, Uttaradit, Sukhothai, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Kanchanaburi, Ranong, Chanthaburi, and Trat.
Cyclone Nargis hit Rangoon (the Burmese capital) hard on Saturday ripping roofs from homes and felling trees and power lines.
There have already been four reported deaths in Rangoon and the Burmese meteorological office has said that the cyclone may trigger a storm surge in the Andaman of up to four metres. Those staying on the Andaman coast are therefore advised to postpone any boat trips until the cyclone has blown over.
More on the Weather in Chiang Mai
Posted by: Andrew on 04 May 2008, 10:20 -
Hot weather and early storms
Thailand is experiencing a hotter than normal summer (warm season) but also receiving unseasonal storms in the Northern provinces as UN-sponsored climate changes were held in Bangkok during the last weekend of March.
The Meteorological Department warned that this April parts of the country, particularly the central and northern regions would experience one of the hotter months in recent years, as part of global weather patterns. They also indicated that this might be part of a trend associated with global warming and that more of the same could be experienced in the future.
They also announced that rains are likely to come early this year due to weather patterns from Southern China bringing moist fronts, which is consistent with showers that have been experienced in the North and parts of the Northeast at the end of March. It's very unusual for rain to fall in this month of the year.
Tourists worried that their travels would be spoiled by wet weather need not worry, since the rain usually comes in the form of late afternoon showers resulting from convection that builds throughout the day. They are short, but the hazy cloud cover has been a welcome respite from the harsh sun in Chiang Mai, among other popular areas. It has also brought the humidity neccessary to reduce the level of harmful dust and burnt matter particles in the atmosphere, which contribute to hazardous respiratory conditions. As a result the chronic problem hasn't been as critical as last year.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 people from 190 countries converged on Bangkok on March 29 for a five day planning season continuing on the 'Bali roadmap' to make progress on the initial climate change forum set up on the Indonesian Island last year. During the same weekend a world 'blackout' hour was undertaken at 8pm local time in cities around the world as a symbolic but significant effort to reduce carbon emissions by saving on electricity.
Posted by: Andrew on 05 Apr 2008, 09:45 -
Governor assures Chiang Mai smog will lift
As summer approaches, the yearly concern of air pollution is once again on the minds and in the lungs of Chiang Mai residents. Chiang Mai’s provincial governor Wibun Sanguanphong says that the current smog will ease in the next several days thanks to the recent rain and city workers spraying water around the city’s busiest streets in an attempt to keep dust particles and pollutants from rising.
The governor said that conditions were not as severe as last year, when many elderly residents left the city to escape the air pollution that created a veil of pollutants clearly seen on the city streets.
“The situation this year is not as critical as that of last year as the rain helped to increase humidity. Moreover, many related agencies have worked closely together to control wildfires, open-air burning and toxic fumes emitted by vehicles,� he said in an interview with the Chiang Mai Mail.
The governor has included a push for mandatory emissions testing on all registered vehicles in the city as part of his campaign platform.
Posted by: DaveB on 14 Mar 2008, 18:33 -
Thai Gulf on monsoon alert
Thailand’s Meteorological Department issued a storm warning for the Gulf of Thailand today after a monsoon was reported to be approaching the region.
The northeasterly monsoon is sure to whip up the seas in the Gulf of Thailand and tourists have been advised not to swim in the sea.
Those visiting Cape Samila were apparently especially at risk where strong winds and high waves have been forecast.
Beach patrol officials in the region were put on high alert in the areas where the monsoon is likely to cause the worst conditions.
The northeasterly monsoon is expected to be quite severe and to affect many parts of Thailand over the next couple of days.
More on Thai Weather
Posted by: Andrew on 27 Jan 2008, 11:11 -
China cold front
A cold spell on its way down from China is expected to hit Thailand on Monday, causing temperatures to plummet and lots of rain to hit the Northeast of the country.
The chill in the north will possibly see frost on the highest mountains where temperatures could dip as low as two degrees Celsius. Chiang Mai is expected to dip to 15 degrees in the city on Thursday night.
With low temperatures in the north, central Thailand and Bangkok are expected to see heavy fog making driving conditions a lot tougher than usual.
The Andaman coast is also likely going to see some weather over the week with isolated thunderstorms throughout the province. In addition, sizeable swells all along the Andaman coast are also expected, with waves around the one metre mark.
Posted by: Andrew on 14 Jan 2008, 19:46 -
Big clean up day on Samui
December 1st was set aside for a mammouth clean up effort on Samui following devastating floods in November which wrecked the island’s preparations for the holiday season.
Led by Surat Thani provincial govenor Vinai Baupradit, a team of municipal officials and employees joined the clean-up activities, which included patch up work to damaged roads and bridges, removing of debris, and clearing out garbage that had blocked drainage.
The effort went a long way to restoring confidence in the island’s image, following negative publicity after 1000 tourists were trapped on the island, unable to leave due to violent storms grounding air traffic.Tourism on the island is reeling, following weeks of adverse weather that kept tourists away and flooded parts of Chaweng and other areas.
Despite being one of Thailand’s most popular islands, Samui perpetually suffers an image problem from continual negative publicity resulting from mafia elements and criminal activities on the island. A concerted effort by officials has been made this year to clean up the island’s reputation and the latest clean up day helped with appearances.
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Posted by: Andrew on 18 Dec 2007, 10:30 -
Flooded Samui Returns to Normal
After torrential floods ruined Samui’s weekend, stranding more than 1000 visitors on the island, the situation has almost returned to normal. Flights which were grounded due to adverse weather on Thursday resumed over the weekend, and high waters have begun receding.
The Island was declared a disaster zone after torrential rains pelted Surat Thani province all week. It left central Chaweng beach area under 70cms of water and has caused damage estimated at 100 million baht. The Thai airforce was brought in to help with relief, and six-wheeled trucks were needed to evacuate some people.
Although tourists were in no real danger, many found themselves unable to leave after Bangkok airways suspended all 72 flights on Thursday, mindful of the recent air disaster at Phuket airport caused by bad weather. Their tropical ‘open air’ terminal proved inadequate as a temporary shelter for stranded passengers.
“Never have I seen rain like it before – not even when Hurricane Katrina whistled by me! The cloud cover has been so thick midday is like twilight.� Said one local resident on a web forum.
The storms have been battering the south for more than a week, and although a lull had brough clear sunny weather on Sunday, more clouds had appeared overnight. The flood waters have mostly receded by an expensive clean up operation is now needed on the eve of the tourist season.
“Last week's flooding on Koh Samui had caused up to 100 million baht in damage to roads and public utilities on the resort island�, mayor Warakorn Rattanarak said yesterday. The island is however, still open for business and many resorts remain unaffected. But cloudy weather is forecast for the next week.
Posted by: Andrew on 12 Nov 2007, 08:50