Hagupit stays offshore as Thailand warned of rain and gusty winds
Hagupit is not expected to directly affect Thailand, but an expert warns of thunderstorms, gusty winds, flash floods in the South and lower rainfall linked to El Niño.
- Tropical storm Hagupit has weakened and will not directly impact Thailand, as it is forecast to remain offshore and dissipate at sea.
- Despite no direct impact from the storm, Thailand is warned of unsettled weather, including heavy rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds across all regions from May 11-16.
- The adverse weather is caused by a collision of different wind systems and a heat low, not by Hagupit itself.
- Specific warnings have been issued for Thailand's southern region, which faces a risk of flash floods in foothill areas due to heavy rainfall.
Hagupit, the fifth storm of the year, has weakened into a tropical depression.
An expert said it would not directly affect Thailand, but warned of unsettled weather during a period of shifting wind direction, with heavy rain and gusty winds possible in all regions.
Monitoring is also advised for “El Niño”, which could bring low rainfall and reduced water supplies through the end of the year.
Hagupit to dissipate at sea, no direct impact on Thailand
According to the latest weather report, Hagupit, the fifth storm of this year, which was moving east of the Philippines at 45 kilometres per hour, has now weakened into a tropical depression, the Philippine weather-monitoring agency said.
Chawalit Chantararat, a director of TEAM Group PCL and a board member of the Consulting Engineers Association of Thailand, said the storm would not affect Thailand.
It would remain over the sea and was expected to dissipate on Wednesday (May 13, 2026).
However, the weather in Thailand remains unsettled as the country is in a period of shifting wind direction.
Warnings for May 11-16: thunderstorms and gusty winds in Thailand
Although the storm will not enter Thailand, the collision of easterly winds, southerly winds and a heat low has caused variable weather conditions as follows:
Northern region: From Sunday (May 10) to Monday (May 11), gusty winds and light to moderate rain are expected.
All regions of Thailand: From Monday (May 11) to Saturday (May 16), thunderstorms will be scattered across the country.
Precaution: Beware of gusty winds that may break trees and damage advertising signs or insecure roofs.
South faces flash-flood watch in foothill areas
For the southern region, a strong heat low was found over the Andaman Sea near Phang Nga province.
When it clashes with southerly winds carrying moisture into the area, it will cause accumulated heavy rain, with the maximum possibly reaching 90 millimetres, in limited areas.
Risk areas: Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket and Trang should beware of flash floods in foothill areas from Monday (May 11) to Friday (May 15).
El Niño signal points to 61% chance of low rainfall and water
Chawalit also stressed the water situation in the second half of the year, saying Thailand had a chance as high as 61% of facing low rainfall and low water conditions under the influence of El Niño, with the following details:
Dry spell: This will become clear from June to July.
New rain spell: Rain will return from August to December, but the volume will be clearly lower than last year.
Agriculture and livestock: These groups require the highest vigilance because, although water in reservoirs is higher than last year, it must be managed carefully.
Although Thailand is expected to enter the rainy season as usual from Saturday (May 16) to Wednesday (May 20), total rainfall is forecast to be below normal.
People are urged to closely follow announcements from the Thai Meteorological Department and use water sparingly to cope with the low-rainfall situation expected to continue until early next year.
