Storms, chill to hit North, Northeast
The move to the cool season will not be trouble-free, even if rains fall off, forecasters say. The North and the Northeast are expected to experience volatile weather conditions as the country moves to the cool season, the Meteorological Department says.
Thunderstorms are expected to hit wide areas of the North and the Northeast, while temperatures will start to drop from the middle of the month, marking the onset of the cool season, said Methi Mahayasanant, director of the northern meteorological centre.
However, there still is a chance of typhoons forming on the western side of the Pacific Ocean and moving through the Philippines to the South China Sea, which will bring more rain to Thailand, he said.
Dams in areas which recorded high rainfall are being watched closely for any excessive inflow of water, said Samroeng Saengphuwong, deputy secretary-general of Office of the National Water Resource (ONWR), in his capacity as the director of the government’s temporary centre for handling water issues. All 14 southern provinces, as well as Phetchaburi, are experiencing downpours, he said.
Kaeng Krachan dam in Phetchaburi, and Pran Buri dam in neighbouring Prachuap Khiri Khan require stringent water management, given their surging water levels, he said.
Water in Kaeng Krachan dam rose sharply from 89% to 91% of capacity in a single day as water continued to rush in following heavy rain in upstream areas over the past two days, he said.
The dam is now draining more water than usual to mitigate effect on downstream communities, he said.
The Pran Buri dam is 81% full while having to deal with the about 30 million cubic metres per day of incoming water and releasing only 2.2 million cu/m per day, he said.
Residents living downstream of these dams are urged to pay close attention to weather updates and the amount of water released by the dams, he said.
Although the Kaeng Krachan and Pran Buri dams’ water management is being closely monitored, the water levels in the dams pose no cause for alarm at the moment, Mr Samroeng said.
According to the National Hydro informatics and Climate Centre, the country’s main dams, namely the Chao Phraya, the Bhumibol, the Pa Sak Jolasid, the Khwae Noi and the Sirikit, have high levels of storage.
The Sirikit dam has the highest with 87% of capacity.