DDPM warns 2 Thai provinces of flash floods on October 15

Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) issued flash-flood warnings for Phitsanulok and Nakhon Sawan on Thursday (October 15), as persistent rainfall raised water levels and threatened low-lying communities. The warnings followed reports that Nam Pat Canal was close to overflowing in Phitsanulok, while substantial run-off was expected to reach parts of Nakhon Sawan.

The warnings came as the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) maintained a landslide and flash-flood watch in five provinces through October 16, while the Hydro-Informatics Institute (HII) identified additional areas at risk from heavy to very heavy rain.

Nam Pat Canal nears overflowing in Phitsanulok

The DDPM reported that continued rainfall around Ban Nam Pat, Village 2, in Chomphu subdistrict of Noen Maprang district, Phitsanulok, had pushed water levels in Nam Pat Canal close to overflowing its banks.

The department warned communities in low-lying areas and near foothills to prepare for flash floods, rapid run-off, mudslides and overflowing waterways.

The DDPM urged residents to monitor conditions, move belongings and vehicles to higher ground, secure valuables and important documents, avoid electrical hazards and assist vulnerable people.

Working with mobile network operators AIS, True and National Telecom (NT), the DDPM sent a Cell Broadcast flood warning to residents of Chomphu subdistrict in Noen Maprang district.

Nakhon Sawan warns nine subdistricts of incoming run-off

The DDPM warned that accumulated rainfall in Mae Wong and Mae Poen districts of Nakhon Sawan could send substantial volumes of water towards Lat Yao district around noon on October 15, potentially triggering flash floods and overflowing waterways.

The warning identified nine subdistricts in Lat Yao as particularly vulnerable: San Chao Kai To, Lat Yao, Huai Nam Hom, Soi Lakhon, Ban Rai, Sa Kaeo, Nong Nom Wua, Wang Ma and Wang Mueang.

Residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas were urged to move vulnerable people, particularly bedbound patients, to safer locations.

The DDPM also advised households to raise belongings above potential flood levels, relocate vehicles, safeguard important documents and remain cautious of electrical hazards and venomous animals.

Nakhon Sawan authorities separately warned communities downstream of Khlong Pho Dam to prepare for possible flooding after reporting strong water flows through the dam's spillway. Residents were advised to move possessions to higher ground.

Five provinces remain under landslide watch through October 16

The Department of Mineral Resources, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, issued a warning covering October 14–16 for landslides and rapid run-off in vulnerable areas of Uthai Thani, Kanchanaburi, Suphan Buri, Ratchaburi and Phetchaburi.

The department identified the following districts for heightened monitoring:

Uthai Thani: Ban Rai and Lan Sak.

Kanchanaburi: Sangkhla Buri, Thong Pha Phum, Si Sawat, Nong Prue, Sai Yok, Dan Makham Tia and Mueang Kanchanaburi.

Suphan Buri: Dan Chang.

Ratchaburi: Suan Phueng, Pak Tho and Ban Kha.

Phetchaburi: Kaeng Krachan and Nong Ya Plong.

The DMR instructed its volunteer monitoring networks to measure rainfall continuously and watch for signs of landslides and sudden run-off. Its Geohazard Operations Centre was also monitoring conditions closely.

Heavy rain threatens wider areas as Chao Phraya levels remain high

The Hydro-Informatics Institute, under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, identified areas requiring heightened flood surveillance on October 15–16 because of heavy to very heavy rainfall. Its warning covered flash floods, rapid run-off, overflowing waterways and urban flooding, while low-lying communities along the Chao Phraya River remained at risk despite reduced dam releases.

The institute's watch list included Tak, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat, Nakhon Nayok, Bangkok and surrounding areas, Uthai Thani, Saraburi, Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan.

In southern Thailand, the HII identified Chumphon, Ranong, Phang Nga, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Trang, Songkhla, Krabi, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat as requiring particular attention.

The HII also singled out four locations for special monitoring over the next 48 hours because of accumulated rainfall:

In Suphan Buri, the areas were Wang Yao subdistrict in Dan Chang district and Chedi subdistrict in U Thong district. The other locations were Huai Khot subdistrict in Huai Khot district, Uthai Thani, and Khao Chot subdistrict in Si Sawat district, Kanchanaburi.

The institute warned that heavy to very heavy rain could occur in isolated areas of the lower Northeast, East, lower Central region and South between October 15 and 17.

Along the Chao Phraya River, the HII advised continued monitoring of low-lying riverside communities after earlier heavy rainfall sent substantial run-off into the river basin.

Discharges from Chao Phraya Dam had been reduced to 1,800 cubic metres per second. However, the institute warned that areas outside flood embankments in Chai Nat, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi remained vulnerable to high water levels.

Residents in the identified risk areas were advised to follow official updates closely and take precautions against rapidly rising water, particularly in low-lying communities and areas near foothills.