More rain for the South (Updated Wed.)

Meteorological Department chief Wanchai Sakudomchai has issued warnings for Nakhon Si Thammarat, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, which are already soaked, to stay alert for further heavy rainfall.

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Note: Weather forecasts tend to be very general. You can get more specific and up-to-date information from thaiwater.net and from the Thai Meteorological Department's daily weather summary (https://www.tmd.go.th/en/climate.php?FileID=1) which gives rainfall totals from around the country. Actually, rainfall in the South over the last day or two has been moderate, but it looks like it could get somewhat worse over the next two or three days.

Wednesday morning update

Above are the highest rainfall totals for the past 24 hours in Thailand as of 9am today. Two districts of Pattani of Yala are included with one in Krabi. Pattani continues to be hit hard. Source: Thaiwater.net

Tuesday evening update

Rain returns to the deep South

As of 7pm this evening, Pattani had rainfall totals of around 50mm and Narathiwat about 36mm, according to Thaiwater.net. That is significant rainfall and will be particularly unwelcome for Narathiwat. Bangkok Post breaking news reported earlier today that water levels had begun to recede there.

Tuesday morning story

South faces Round 3 of flooding

Post Reporters

Narathiwat province in the far South is bracing for a third round of severe floods over the next couple of days.

Heavy downpours look set to return at a time when the province is still reeling from previous flooding.

Weather in the South has been unusually wet over the the past couple of months.

Although the previous flooding showed signs of easing off with reduced water levels in the Sungai Kolok, Bang Nara and Saiburi rivers, residents remain nervous as they prepare for the latest round of heavy rain, according to Narathiwat governor Sitthichai Sakda.

Authorities said many locals were already struggling after the previous floods.

The latest inundation has led the entire province to be declared a disaster zone, which enables the immediate disbursement of a disaster budget to tackle flood-related problems, he said. In all, 145,000 residents have been affected by the floods in all 13 districts of Narathiwat.

Earlier, Trang province to the north of Narathiwat suffered a third round of flooding from the Trang River, affecting 400 houses in Muang district.

Meteorological Department chief Wanchai Sakudomchai has issued warnings for Nakhon Si Thammarat, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, which are already soaked, to stay alert for further heavy rainfall, especially Tuesday and Wednesday.

As a new cold front from China has sent the mercury tumbling by between 2 and 4 degrees Celsius in the North and Northeast, the southern region is predicted to experience a monsoon which promises more rain, according to Mr Wanchai.

Before the return of the heavy rain, floods were receding Monday in some areas in Narathiwat with some locals cleaning up.

The flood water in nine communities near the Sungai Kolok River had fallen to between 1 and 1.5 metres, but was still high which prevented many villagers, who had been evacuated to higher ground, from returning home, according to aerial images taken by a drone.

Meanwhile, the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) has asked for support in flood-affected areas for the department's water-management projects, including dam construction in flood-prone areas.

Narong Leenanon, the RID deputy chief, said some flood-prevention projects were stalled because of local opposition.

Dams could help with water retention and speeding water flow to the sea, even if they could not help prevent flooding entirely, he said.

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