Thailand Floods Thread

[PeteC]

Rain causes flooding in Chiang Mai

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... chiang-mai (More photos at link)

Many areas in Chom Thong district of Chiang Mai province have been hit by flash floods caused by heavy rain throughout Friday night.

According to media reports on Saturday, the continuous rain had increased the volume of the Mae Klang waterfall in Doi Inthanon National Park and caused runoff. The area had received an average of 110 millimetres of rain per hour.

Roads, including Highway 108 (Chiang Mai-Hot), and four villages in tambon Khuang Pao were inundated. Drainage was slow on roads, including Highway 108, forcing motorists to avoid some lanes and leading to traffic congestion, the reports said.

Personnel and equipment have been mobilised to speed up drainage in homes and facilities. Conditions are expected to return to normal later on Saturday, as water levels in many areas have started to recede.

Local authorities have yet to estimate the cost of the flood damage.

phpeo2C6yAM.jpg (167.89 KiB) Viewed 1918 times

[Big Boy]

Both ends of the country. Surat Thani as well https://www.thaipbsworld.com/flash-floo ... -forecast/

[PeteC]

Govt says it's ready to deal with flood risk

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... flood-risk

The Royal Irrigation Department is preparing to deal with an increased risk of flooding with greater volumes of rain expected this year.

The department predicts that overall water volumes will this year be higher than last year, its chief Prapit Chanma, said.

Mr Prapit said the department has projected it will see 5.9 billion cubic metres (m³) of water by the time the rainy season concludes at the end of October.

There were 5 billion m³ of water last year, he said.

He said the department's regional irrigation offices will have measures in place to deal with flooding.

Mr Prapit said that the department had success with its water management over the dry season with no zone declaring they were suffering from a drought-like crisis.

This, he said, was due to improved cooperation between stakeholders despite how water use went beyond water management plans.

From last year to the end of April, the country consumed 22.99 billion m³ of water which was slightly higher than the planned amount of 22.28 billion m³.

There also ended up being 8.11 million rai worth of plantations countrywide, compared with 6.41 million rai that had been planned.

"For water use in the rainy season, we have suggested farmers make use of water from rainfall as much as possible," Mr Prapit said.

"And the department will discharge water to them in case of need only," he said.

"We will keep water in the dams as much as possible for the dry season next year."

Mr Prapit added that the department has already deployed 5,382 flooding-operation units to all regional irrigation offices countrywide in preparation for the expected heavy rains.

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister, Chalermchai Sri-on, said that each river basin should have its own plan for water management.

Each situation is different, he said, and so they each have particular needs.

Mr Chalermchai added that each stakeholder should be proactive in their water-saving efforts even if there is a high volume of water stocked in reservoirs.

The Thai Meteorological Department said that the amount of rainfall this year is expected to be slightly higher than the average, by around 3%.

[buksida]

With the rainy season starting a month or so early, I reckon there will be a lot of flooding this year. Last year was one of the wettest with a six-month rainy season, 2022 looks like it'll be worse.

No need to worry about rising sea levels, Thailand will be underwater long before that happens!

[Nereus]

With the rainy season starting a month or so early, I reckon there will be a lot of flooding this year. Last year was one of the wettest with a six-month rainy season, 2022 looks like it'll be worse.

No need to worry about rising sea levels, Thailand will be underwater long before that happens!

Although there is what could be called "unseasonal" rain fall, the SW Monsoon is still predicted to be "normal", arriving in Kerala India around the 1st June, or maybe a week or so earlier.
It then has to build up a bit before arriving here.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ind ... 388957.cms

The Monsoon is closely tied to the InterTropic Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which in turn is influenced by the apparent path of the sun moving north. Summer Solstice, the point of the suns most northerly point, has not changed and will occur on 21st June as normal.

Whatever the outcome, you can be sure that the government will have an excuse!

[buksida]

That all sounds very fancy but it pissed down for almost 6 months solid last year down here, and we've already had more rain this month than in previous years so it could just roll into wet season in June regardless of when the SW Monsoon is due to arrive.

Living here is beginning to remind me of the 5 years of solid rain they had in One Hundred Years Of Solitude

[HHTel]

A contradicting report which forecasts less rain than last year.

Thailand to enter rainy season in mid-May

Thailand will enter its rainy season around the end of the second week of May and it will last until mid-October, with a temporary break from mid-June to mid-July, due to the effects of El Niño and La Niña phenomena, according to the Thai Meteorological Department.

In an announcement, issued this morning (Sunday), the department warned of more rain across the country, with very heavy rain forecast in the southern region, as an indirect result of the atmospheric depression in the middle of the Bay of Bengal, which is intensifying and is predicted to develop into cyclone today, but it will not have a direct impact on Thailand.

The department said, however, that the cyclone, which is looming over the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, will intensify the south-easterly wind and this will bring more rain to most parts of the county, particularly to southern provinces, which may face heavy downpours and the possibility of flash flooding.

The amount of accumulated rainfall during the rainy season this year is predicted to be about 3% higher than the average rainfall, but still lower than last year’s rainy season, when accumulated rainfall was 8% higher than average.

According to today’s announcement, the atmospheric depression, with wind speeds close to its centre measured at 55kph, was moving in a north-westerly direction at about 15km per hour and is intensifying into a cyclone.

Rough seas are predicted, with waves averaging two metres in height in the Andaman and up to two metres in the Gulf, said the department, as it warned fishermen and sailors to navigate with caution and to avoid stormy areas.

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailand-t ... n-mid-may/

[buksida]

We can only hope, but I don't have much faith in any Thai state department's ability to predict anything at all.

60% chance of another La Niña year which means wetter in SEA: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/b ... -measuring

[Nereus]

due to the effects of El Niño and La Niña phenomena, according to the Thai Meteorological Department.

Really? So which is it to be, as they are completely opposite phenomena!

[handdrummer]

Thailand needs a Ministry of Incompetence. A place where anyone can go to find out the latest misinformation. Yes, yes, I know, they're all incompetent but having one place for all misinformation would be helpful.

[handdrummer]

Living here is beginning to remind me of the 5 years of solid rain they had in One Hundred Years Of Solitude

Except that Marquez was noted for truth and compassion.

[PeteC]

Flooding in Korat

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... g-in-korat (Photo)

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: Floodwater inundated many areas of Muang and Chok Chai districts, including the province's largest pottery village in tambon Dan Kwian, following heavy rain on Monday.

In Muang district, starting about 4.30pm many roads were flooded. A section of Highway 304 in front of Surathampithak School was about 30 centimetres under water, causing a 2-kilometre-long traffic jam.

From Highway 304, the water flowed to the inner part of the city. The road in front of the Save One market was under about 40cm of water. Municipal workers opened drain covers to speed up the water flow.

In Chok Chai district, the rain started about 2.30pm. Runoff from cassava plantations on high ground flowed down into Dan Kwian village, the province's largest pottery community in tambon Dan Kwian.

About 50 houses were flooded out. The water at some spots was about 1.50 metres deep.

Rescuers from the Hook 31 rescue unit rushed to the community with flat-bottom boats to help move villagers, many of them elderly, their belongings and domestic animals to high ground.

Residents said it was the heaviest flood to hit the pottery village in 10 years.

The situation improved when the rain stopped about 6pm and the water flowed into a natural canal which runs into the Mun river.

The floodwater drained off overnight.

[PeteC]

The job is hard enough for a below sea level city without things like this working against you.

Monitor lizard stuck in water pump causes flood in Bangkok

https://thethaiger.com/news/bangkok/mon ... in-bangkok

After hours of heavy rain, deep floods disrupted traffic in the Bang Khen area of Bangkok yesterday afternoon (Wednesday). At first, officials from the Bureau of Drainage couldn’t understand why four pumps designed to pump flood water out of the road had stopped working. When they checked the machinery, they found a huge monitor lizard – or “tua hia” in Thai – stuck inside one of the pumps.

The flood occurred yesterday afternoon on Ratchadapisek Road and Phahonyothin Road, in the area connecting Bang Sue and Chatuchak. The four broken pumps caused deep floods at Bang Khen roundabout, Soi Ram Inthra 21 and Khlong O – Rang Kaew pumping centre.

Bang Khen district officials called staff from the Bureau of Drainage to the scene, who safely removed the reptile and got the pumps working again. Shortly afterwards, the water level and traffic returned to normal.

You will often spot Asian water monitor lizards taking a swim in one of Bangkok’s klongs – or canals – or in the lake at Lumphini Park. Although they like a dip in the water, they are known to seek shelter during heavy rain, sometimes breaking into people’s homes to escape the storm.

[Nereus]

The job is hard enough for a below sea level city without things like this working against you

Well, I have had more than enough problems with pumps over about 60 years working on them. How does just 1 pump cause all the others to fail?

It is either mis-reporting, BS, or the usual half arse Thai way of doing things. The lizard survived, so it probably wasn't an electrical fault, unless the lizard turned them off!

[PeteC]

Flash flood alert issued until Monday

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... til-monday

Weather forecasters are warning of sudden floods and runoff from heavy rain that is expected to continue in most parts of the country over the next three days.

The Meteorological Department’s latest warning on Friday said some areas would be flooded as the low pressure system now over Kayin state of Myanmar moves towards the northern and northeastern regions of Thailand, causing rain in more than 50 provinces, with heavy rain in some areas.

Wet weather conditions were expected to persist until Monday, it added.

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said areas at risk from sudden flooding included all districts in Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son and Chiang Rai provinces in the North, Loei and Nakhon Ratchasima in the Northeast, Kanchanaburi in the central region and Chumphon province in the South.

Dark clouds still covered Greater Bangkok on Friday, after heavy rain in the small hours of Wednesday caused widespread flooding that paralysed morning traffic in northern and eastern districts of the capital.