Summer storms hit Songkran festival zone in Nakhon Phanom

The gusty winds, at around 4am, pulled down tents, their bamboo and metal frames set up along Phanom Naga Plaza on Sunthorn Wichit Road to the famous multi-headed Naga statue landmark by the Mekong River. By luck, no injuries were reported.

The pre-dawn storm took place just as the Thai Meteorological Department had warned residents in the Northeast, the North and the East of possible summer storms and hail from Sunday until Wednesday. Nakhon Phanom reported a high temperature of 40 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

After the storm, Maj-General Somchai Khanpachai, head of the 210th Military Circle, brought soldiers to join with Muang Nakhon Phanom deputy mayor Wattanasak Jiawiriyaboonya and administrative officials to survey the damage, clear away fallen structures and repair the venue for the Songkran event scheduled for the late afternoon.

As the storm mainly affected the venue for the Songkran celebration and Indochina food festival held from April 11-16, some people on Thai social media speculated that it might be punishment sent by a supernatural being.

In Ubon Ratchathani, a summer storm had brought heavy rain to various areas, most intensely in the Warin Chamrap district whose main roads were deeply flooded and impassable for small vehicles early Sunday morning.

Warin Chamrap Municipality workers brought water pumps to drain the flooded area, which returned to normal later in the day.