Yes! Its Raining. No, Its Not Raining.

[adjan jb]

that's money out there...

At 400 THB/kilo flying ants are more expensive.

[adjan jb]

raining again

[princealbert]

Could this be the start of the rainy season ?

Cant remember it being this early in 06 or 07......Or maybe i'm just getting old and my memory going along with my hair.

[Priceless]

Could this be the start of the rainy season ?

Cant remember it being this early in 06 or 07......Or maybe i'm just getting old and my memory going along with my hair.

Yes, human memory is a funny thing, isn't it Last year, we were on Koh Chang a couple of weeks in April and came back on 26 April. It had started to rain then and that certainly was the rainy season. According to the Thai Meteorological Department ( http://www.tmd.go.th/en/province_stat.php?...ionNumber=48327 ) Chiang Mai normally gets 50 mm of rain in April, so it seems that the rainy season actually starts then and not in May, as you might think. According to an amateur weather station in CM ( http://www.hs0zee.com/Information/Weather%...Rain%202006.htm ) April 2006 was even rainier.

/ Priceless

[tigerbeer]

whatever it is. it is beautiful weather

[Priceless]

whatever it is. it is beautiful weather

Yes, terrific!

/ Priceless

[Ulysses G.]

Rainy season usually starts near the end of May except for a few "mango rains" that usually take place during the Songkran holiday. The last two years have been highly unusual (if it stays like this) as the rains started about two months early. This year, it might have something to do with the cloud seeding that the powers that be have been doing to clean the air.

[Tywais]

whatever it is. it is beautiful weather

Probably my fault, I just installed a new air conditioner last week.

[tigerbeer]

whatever it is. it is beautiful weather

Probably my fault, I just installed a new air conditioner last week.

knew there was a culprit. just dont return the AC

[Tywais]

whatever it is. it is beautiful weather

Probably my fault, I just installed a new air conditioner last week.

knew there was a culprit. just dont return the AC

It has a mode called "Dry" so maybe I can at least try that out.

[Priceless]

Rainy season usually starts near the end of May except for a few "mango rains" that usually take place during the Songkran holiday. The last two years have been highly unusual (if it stays like this) as the rains started about two months early. This year, it might have something to do with the cloud seeding that the powers that be have been doing to clean the air.

You may well be right about the rainy season. I've only been here full time for 1½ years, so I wouldn't know. However, the Thai Meteorological Department claim that this is the normal pattern (30-year average):

Why they're using data from 1961-1990 is beyond me, but anyway... And Tywais, please keep the a/c

/ Priceless

[mcgriffith]

Ah, the "Murphy's Law" factor....thanks Tywais!

Your selfless sacrifice now has us all enjoying cool clear weather....

I'll buy you a beer at the party....or a hot mulled wine....or some hot cocoa......

[Tywais]

Raining cats and soi dogs now out toward Hang Dong. Lot's of wind and lightening flashes. Did get to use the new air conditioner a few days though.

Hey McG, what happened to that beer you said you were going to buy me?

//edit - it's coming down in sheets now, nearly horizontal rain from the wind.

[Nienke]

Ma laeo ma laeo!

My veggies need it! And I need the coolness ...

Nienke

[Ulysses G.]

Rainy season usually starts near the end of May except for a few "mango rains" that usually take place during the Songkran holiday. The last two years have been highly unusual (if it stays like this) as the rains started about two months early. This year, it might have something to do with the cloud seeding that the powers that be have been doing to clean the air.

You may well be right about the rainy season. I've only been here full time for 1½ years, so I wouldn't know. However, the Thai Meteorological Department claim that this is the normal pattern (30-year average):

Why they're using data from 1961-1990 is beyond me, but anyway... And Tywais, please keep the a/c

/ Priceless

My guess is that most of the rain in May is normally in the last week or two, but the rainy season around 1990 was very different than it is now due to many more trees. It used to be much stronger rainfall than now as in a real monsoon.

I can remember sitting in the Beer Stube in the pouring rain around that time and we were all afraid that the roof would come off. I recently read that it actually did one time and landed in the moat, however, that was before my time.

[Tywais]

It used to be much stronger rainfall than now as in a real monsoon.

The rain I'm seeing here pretty much defines monsoon I would say. Trees bending waay over and a driving rain.

[Ulysses G.]

I always thought of a monsoon as raining hard for at least a few hours every day. Nowadays, I would guess that it might rain an hour per day during the height of rainy season and usually not very hard.

[Nienke]

It was very strong rain here, but not that long though. Enough to water my plants.

[Tywais]

I always thought of a monsoon as raining hard for at least a few hours every day. Nowadays, I would guess that it might rain an hour per day during the height of rainy season and usually not very hard.

Could be. When I was in Vietnam that's pretty much what it was like (during my uncle Sam's call of duty). Like this, but for much longer periods.

BTW: My Golden just ran in the door, the thunder got to be too much for him.

[mcgriffith]

You got it Tywais...anytime any place for the promised beer or three....

I just went out on on northfacing balcony, and saw a most perfect example of "fork lightening" over Mae Rim- 2 or 3 vertical bolts, joined at the last instant horizontally across the top....

I love this season....torrential rain.....electric fire across the sky....clean cool air....

[Ajarn]

Many years ago, the Thai government had the weather in 7 year cycles, and it naturally was wetter some years... It's been a long time since I've thought about it, but I recall thinking to myself over the years that it made sense...

[tipsy]

I'll like this season a lot more once a buy a car...........

[Mapguy]

Who'll Stop the Rain!

Hooked?! Read on.

Everyone talks about how bad March can be with air pollution --- and it can really be terrible, but few people talk about how beautiful that last couple of months have been with very clear air. What's a rain shower or two? In Chiang Mai, nobody's really raining on anybody's (including tourists') parade in the past eight weeks or so. But in China, well, concerns are different!

The news column below comments on making rain and focuses on China's rather astonishing preparations for the Olympics. These are truly draconian preparations, I might add, that are frightening in one way because only a massively authoritarian country could dream of doing what they are doing to ensure that Beijing and other Olympic sites are clear of pollution and it doesn't rain in Beijing on the opening day of the Olympics. Big Brother is alive and well in China.

The article is about rain making, in part about the purported success of various techniques. I post the article here because rainmaking experience in Thailand is mentioned. Rainmaking is one of the "solutions" to lessening air pollution (particularly in Northern Thailand) because it washes suspended particles from the air. This is usually highlighted in Thailand as a useful measure. Probably not useful, according to research the columnist refers to. Maybe the Thai government should consider more effective steps like a concerted program such as providing the education and economic incentives necessary to stop rice straw burning and burning of other sorts. Hmmmm! Seems worth checking out further. In the meantime, here's the article:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/149000

[mcgriffith]

Today, riding back from the east crossing over Nawarat bridge, just as I got to Tapae Rd., I saw on the northwest corner an electronic board sign displaying local weather. Just as I crossed the intersection, I saw a signboard display that read something like this:

PM 10

25

Perhaps this sign has been there awhile; I just noticed it today.

I thought the particulate matter reading for "under 10" rather cool....

[Mapguy]

Today, riding back from the east crossing over Nawarat bridge, just as I got to Tapae Rd., I saw on the northwest corner an electronic board sign displaying local weather. Just as I crossed the intersection, I saw a signboard display that read something like this:

PM 10

25

Perhaps this sign has been there awhile; I just noticed it today.

I thought the particulate matter reading for "under 10" rather cool....

Yep!

[cloudhopper]

Does anyone know if the chart in this thread is for the CM region or an average over the entire country?

[Mapguy]

Does anyone know if the chart in this thread is for the CM region or an average over the entire country?

The graph (Posts 154 and 161) is called a climograph. Climographs have data for a specific place. Normally, climographs are done for cities

[Priceless]

Does anyone know if the chart in this thread is for the CM region or an average over the entire country?

If you take the time to click on the link that I gave in post #154 ( http://www.tmd.go.th/en/province_stat.php?...ionNumber=48327 ), you will find that the graph header says "30 year Average (1961-1990) - CHIANG MAI".

/ Priceless

[cloudhopper]

Does anyone know if the chart in this thread is for the CM region or an average over the entire country?

If you take the time to click on the link that I gave in post #154 ( http://www.tmd.go.th/en/province_stat.php?...ionNumber=48327 ), you will find that the graph header says "30 year Average (1961-1990) - CHIANG MAI".

/ Priceless

It didn't take any time at all Priceless, it's just that your link appeared in a post prior to the chart and there was no obvious connection.

Thanks for going to the great effort to point it out though and have a nice evening....

[KevinHunt]

To get back to the original topic....

It's just stopped.

But it might rain again later. My guess is about 11pm. I get home at about 2am, I'll let you know if it's raining then.