Heavy rain alert for South’s east coast from December 25–28
The Southern East Coast Meteorological Centre has issued its second advisory, warning of heavy to very heavy rain along the eastern seaboard from December 25–28.
The Southern East Coast Meteorological Centre issued its second advisory on Wednesday, December 24, warning of heavy to very heavy rain across the South’s eastern seaboard from December 25–28.
The centre said the northeast monsoon had strengthened and was covering the Gulf of Thailand, the South and the Andaman Sea, bringing increased rainfall. Heavy to very heavy downpours are forecast in parts of Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.
Residents were urged to watch for thunderstorms and strong gusts, as well as the risk of flash floods, forest runoff, river overflows and landslides in hillside and foothill areas.
In the lower Gulf of Thailand, winds and waves are expected to strengthen, with waves around two metres and higher than two metres in thundershowers.
Mariners were advised to exercise extra caution and avoid sailing in stormy areas, while the public was told to closely follow updates from the Southern East Coast Meteorological Centre.
Meanwhile, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) said it had sent an urgent most official instruction to Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Centres 11 and 12, ordering heightened readiness for the December 25–28 period in the seven provinces.
The DDPM instructed regional centres to:
- Closely monitor weather information and official warnings, and keep machinery, emergency vehicles and personnel on standby around the clock.
- If conditions are expected to worsen or spread, deploy emergency response teams with equipment to support provincial incident command centres under the provincial governor, and coordinate with provincial disaster prevention offices, including support for temporary shelters if needed.
- If resources in the responsible area are insufficient, coordinate reinforcement from nearby regional centres.
- Seek additional information from the National Disaster Warning Centre via 1 2399 4114, and watch for updated forecasts if conditions change.
