Heaviest Rains In Two Decades Hit Bangkok

[webfact]

WET TUESDAY

Staying afloat

By Mayuree Sukyingcharoenwong

Wannapa Phetdee

The Nation

Published on October 14, 2009

Cars sink and pedestrians are marooned as the heaviest rains in two decades hit Bangkok

The misery of traffic jams left Bangkok drivers wishing they could swap their cars for boats yesterday, as the capital's roads disappeared under water. The long and heavy downpour brought the biggest spike in rainwater levels for more than two decades.

Bailing out

After driving her husband to work along Srinakarin Road at 1.30pm, housewife Naphaphorn Chuenprasaeng witnessed one driver baling water from his brokendown car with a cup. "It was shocking to see the floodwaters so high. I saw dozens of breakdowns."

"The journey from Bang Na to my home on Patthanakan 65 took two hours. Normally, it's only 30 minutes."

Fon, a resident of the Thippawan community on Thepharak Road, said the flood level rose to 30 centimetres, forcing her to stay at home. The community was inundated from 7am until well into the afternoon.

"The whole area looks like a canal. I had no customers at my restaurant as a result. In the past, floodwaters have subsided after a few hours - never before has the community been flooded for so long," Fon said.

Never-ending journey

Noon, a company employee in Bang Na district, said she left home in Lad Prao district for her office at 11.30am. "Usually, my commute by bus takes an hour and a half but it took almost four hours today. I've never seen floods as high in the three years of travelling to this office. In places the water was waist deep."

She added that she witnessed pedestrians literally marooned on islands created by the rising waters.

Students at Ramkhamhaeng University 2 had to hitch up skirts and trousers and paddle through kneedeep water to get to exam halls. At 1.30pm, the traffic around the university was gridlocked.

Narong Airasubkunakorn, director of the city's Information Drainage Technology Department confirmed the rain had been the heaviest in 25 years. Other roads that suffered jams as a result were Sukhumvit, Rama 3, Rama 4, Rama 9, Phitsanulok, Lat Phrao, Ratchadaphisek, Ngarmwong wan and Vibhavadi and Rajdamnoen Avenue.

-- The Nation 2009/10/14

[mr_hippo]

The weather forecast looked OK for yesterday so I went on my usual daily cycle ride, the sky was OK when I set off but a bit overcast. Usual coffee stop at the PTT gas station just past Fashion Island on Ram Intra. It is here where I normally decide where to go but it just starting spitting. 'I'll just do 40K today - back along Ram Intra and down Lat PlaKhao' and then the heavens opened! So I waited, had more coffee and waited and more coffee and... I don't cycle in the rain - if I am caught out in it then I have to. The rain did ease off so I made a break for it and about 2 kms from home it stopped! How long was my coffee break? FIVE hours!!!

[ratcatcher]

WET TUESDAY

Staying afloat

By Mayuree Sukyingcharoenwong

Wannapa Phetdee

The Nation

Published on October 14, 2009

She added that she witnessed pedestrians literally marooned on islands created by the rising waters.

Students at Ramkhamhaeng University 2 had to hitch up skirts and trousers and paddle through kneedeep water to get to exam halls. At 1.30pm, the traffic around the university was gridlocked.

-- The Nation 2009/10/14

Edited for brevity.

Not to diminish the seriousness of the flooding and the massive damage to property etc, but surely students skirts are short enough. I can just imagine what they looked like, holding an armful of books, mobile phone and their skirt. T.I.T.

[Plus]

Now the gridlock is explained - it was the skirts.

[Chang_paarp]

Students at Ramkhamhaeng University 2 had to hitch up skirts and trousers and paddle through kneedeep water to get to exam halls.

Like ratcatcher I feel: This is useless without pictures.

[Donnyboy]

Students at Ramkhamhaeng University 2 had to hitch up skirts and trousers and paddle through kneedeep water to get to exam halls.

Like ratcatcher I feel: This is useless without pictures.

you can blame the universities for the poor students having to hitch up skirts, not long ago, they were mini in length but the powers at be compained they were too short

[Sparkles]

Students at Ramkhamhaeng University 2 had to hitch up skirts and trousers and paddle through kneedeep water to get to exam halls.

Like ratcatcher I feel: This is useless without pictures.

you can blame the universities for the poor students having to hitch up skirts, not long ago, they were mini in length but the powers at be compained they were too short

Uniforms in Thailand now theres any oxy moron. Always amused me to see Uni girls struggling to get onto a songteaw the skirts being so tight that there was not enough leeway to get the legs far enough apart to get up the step and then there's the blouses that they stitch themselves into every morning.Lifes not easy for a Uni student.

[Thunder26]

Narong Airasubkunakorn, director of the city's Information Drainage Technology Department confirmed the rain had been the heaviest in 25 years. Other roads that suffered jams as a result were Sukhumvit, Rama 3, Rama 4, Rama 9, Phitsanulok, Lat Phrao, Ratchadaphisek, Ngarmwong wan and Vibhavadi and Rajdamnoen Avenue.

-- The Nation 2009/10/14

Actually he is wrong. It rained more than this! Last April in less than 24 hrs rained 217mm in the center of Bangkok!But it's true that rained less in Bang Na. Heavy rains with more than 100 mm have been registered during the last 5 years as well. Heaviest rain in two decades is a total bullshit:)

[Old Man River]

Narong Airasubkunakorn, director of the city's Information Drainage Technology Department confirmed the rain had been the heaviest in 25 years. Other roads that suffered jams as a result were Sukhumvit, Rama 3, Rama 4, Rama 9, Phitsanulok, Lat Phrao, Ratchadaphisek, Ngarmwong wan and Vibhavadi and Rajdamnoen Avenue.

-- The Nation 2009/10/14

Actually he is wrong. It rained more than this! Last April in less than 24 hrs rained 217mm in the center of Bangkok!But it's true that rained less in Bang Na. Heavy rains with more than 100 mm have been registered during the last 5 years as well. Heaviest rain in two decades is a total bullshit:)

I am not doubting that you are right, but I would be interested to see the data. I did a quick look on google and didn't see it. Do you have a link?

Thanks.

[Thunder26]

I am not doubting that you are right, but I would be interested to see the data. I did a quick look on google and didn't see it. Do you have a link?

Thanks.

Hi there. I collect the rainfall data for every month for more than 4 years in Bangkok and I state surely that it wasn't the heaviest rain in 25 years. There is no Thai link to prove that because they show only a 7 day archive. I will give you a Russian link, not sure you will understand, but at least you can see the figures.

It rained 128mm during the day plus another 89mm during the night on the 27th of April, 2009. This information I took from a Thai website which keeps a temporary 7 day archive. In the Russian website the archive data is not so accurate, so you can't see the real amount of rain during the night, but at least you can see during the day.

http://rp5.ru/archive.php?wmo_id=48455〈=ru

Not sure you will get it, it might require some personal clicking around and unless you can't read Russian I can't help. But what I say is a fact. A call to the Thai Meteorological Department might help if you really want to know if it's true or not.

[Rumfoord]

Actually he is wrong. It rained more than this! Last April in less than 24 hrs rained 217mm in the center of Bangkok!But it's true that rained less in Bang Na. Heavy rains with more than 100 mm have been registered during the last 5 years as well. Heaviest rain in two decades is a total bullshit:)

the problem and cause of the floods lays with the drainage system and how much water volume it can handle per MINUTE.

looking at statistical data that list the amount of rain on your average day, like x mm in a 24 h period will maybe let look the the statement of "heaviest rain in two decades" like bullshit.

but actually not, if you know your data, you should know with statistics you can juggle.

and then there is maybe an error in translation, minor confusion in reporting and your own narrow interpretation of that "heaviest rain in two decades" line.

maybe that wording was more aimed at the impact of the rain. the problems that all that water caused for the residents of the community Bangkok. The Nation is also not the publisher of the meteorologic yearbook.

for a single day the volume of rain that falls over bangkok can be different from district to district. thunder storm and heavy rain over Lat Phrao or Sukhumvit, meanwhile nearly nothing in sathorn or still a wonderful sunny afternoon riverside or at the Dusit Zoo and tomorrow it will exactly the other way around.

the capacity of the drainage system is also different from destrict to destrict, neighbourhood to neighbourhood. the amount of rain a certain area can easy handle cause problems in the higher density areas, or areas with an older drainage systems, bottlenecks in the system.

when one of the bigger clouds and downpour hits the most vulnerable area you have a situation that is heavier than the average.

[Old Man River]

I am not doubting that you are right, but I would be interested to see the data. I did a quick look on google and didn't see it. Do you have a link?

Thanks.

Hi there. I collect the rainfall data for every month for more than 4 years in Bangkok and I state surely that it wasn't the heaviest rain in 25 years. There is no Thai link to prove that because they show only a 7 day archive. I will give you a Russian link, not sure you will understand, but at least you can see the figures.

It rained 128mm during the day plus another 89mm during the night on the 27th of April, 2009. This information I took from a Thai website which keeps a temporary 7 day archive. In the Russian website the archive data is not so accurate, so you can't see the real amount of rain during the night, but at least you can see during the day.

http://rp5.ru/archive.php?wmo_id=48455〈=ru

Not sure you will get it, it might require some personal clicking around and unless you can't read Russian I can't help. But what I say is a fact. A call to the Thai Meteorological Department might help if you really want to know if it's true or not.

Again, I am not doubting you so no need for me to call anyone to check on it. What your data tells me is that while the complete area where I live is still under 3 feet of water, despite no rain during the day today (here), the new airport has absolutely nothing to do with this flooding. There was no flooding whatsoever in this area in April or anytime for many years that I am aware of, so it is some new construction somewhere else.

[Thunder26]

Actually he is wrong. It rained more than this! Last April in less than 24 hrs rained 217mm in the center of Bangkok!But it's true that rained less in Bang Na. Heavy rains with more than 100 mm have been registered during the last 5 years as well. Heaviest rain in two decades is a total bullshit:)

the problem and cause of the floods lays with the drainage system and how much water volume it can handle per MINUTE.

looking at statistical data that list the amount of rain on your average day, like x mm in a 24 h period will maybe let look the the statement of "heaviest rain in two decades" like bullshit.

but actually not, if you know your data, you should know with statistics you can juggle.

and then there is maybe an error in translation, minor confusion in reporting and your own narrow interpretation of that "heaviest rain in two decades" line.

maybe that wording was more aimed at the impact of the rain. the problems that all that water caused for the residents of the community Bangkok. The Nation is also not the publisher of the meteorologic yearbook.

for a single day the volume of rain that falls over bangkok can be different from district to district. thunder storm and heavy rain over Lat Phrao or Sukhumvit, meanwhile nearly nothing in sathorn or still a wonderful sunny afternoon riverside or at the Dusit Zoo and tomorrow it will exactly the other way around.

the capacity of the drainage system is also different from destrict to destrict, neighbourhood to neighbourhood. the amount of rain a certain area can easy handle cause problems in the higher density areas, or areas with an older drainage systems, bottlenecks in the system.

when one of the bigger clouds and downpour hits the most vulnerable area you have a situation that is heavier than the average.

Agreed completely But don't agree with the statement "the heaviest rain in two decades".

[Thunder26]

Again, I am not doubting you so no need for me to call anyone to check on it. What your data tells me is that while the complete area where I live is still under 3 feet of water, despite no rain during the day today (here), the new airport has absolutely nothing to do with this flooding. There was no flooding whatsoever in this area in April or anytime for many years that I am aware of, so it is some new construction somewhere else.

Yep, I agree with you, that amount of rain in April didn't hit the areas which were hit in these days. During that time central areas of Bangkok were flooded, it was shown and reported on news nationwide. Rain of 40 mm and above (131mm in Bang Na yesterday) is very likely to cause flash floods, and what really happened. I am not saying that the rain was nothing, I am saying that it wasn't the heaviest rain in the last 25 years

[henryalleman]

As long they don't build an sufficient drainage and sewer system and maintain it in a correct way it will always be the same.everytime time its rain numerous streets in BKK are flooded. I realy don't understand it, there are hunderds of klongs who could evacuate the rain, but they are all in a terrible state of maintenance.

When its rains for 30 minutes all the streets around my condo are flooded, and its take day's before the water is gone if there is no sunshine. My sister in law lives in Siwalee(Rangsit) the same story after, 30 minutes the water is 15cm high and its also takes day's before its gone;

The floods are dammaging the economy for billions every year, just calculate the lost labour costs and traffic jams because of it.

Instead of planning megolomaniac projects they better spend the money were its realy needed.

Edited October 14, 2009 by henryalleman

[mixed]

Anyone know the total rainfall in mm for this year?

[c64]

www.en.allmetsat.com

Should give you needed info.

Has as far as I can see some statistics, cyclone warning, weather forecast +++ for the whole world

Edited October 14, 2009 by c64

[brahmburgers]

How long was my coffee break? FIVE hours!!!

You'll either die from caffeine overdose or waterborne infection, take your pick (or take your bamboo raft).

Narong Airasubkunakorn, director of the city's Information Drainage Technology Department confirmed the rain had been the heaviest in 25 years.

-- The Nation 2009/10/14

Actually he is wrong. It rained more than this! Last April in less than 24 hrs rained 217mm in the center of Bangkok!But it's true that rained less in Bang Na. Heavy rains with more than 100 mm have been registered during the last 5 years as well. Heaviest rain in two decades is a total bullshit:)

Thais are not known as scientific giants. Show a clock face indicating 4:42 to a Thai and ask what time it is, and chances are they'll say 5 o'clock. Interesting that precipitation data for Bangkok would more likely come from a farang individual or a Russian website, than from Bkk authorities.

It's not surprising to have headlines claiming "the heaviest in 25 years......" sort of thing. Plus it sells newspapers. Each year, after a strong rainfall, there will doubtless be such claims. Similarly, around March each year, there are headlines claiming "the driest year on record."

Incidentally, northernmost Thailand is facing seriously dry months, particularly around March/April 2010. The below-normal levels of rainfall here is significant. Does anyone have statistics? Maybe some obscure Russian web site will have some statistics.

As for female student uniforms: How about those inflatable pink water wings - a pair of those under each tender armpit ('lak laen' in Thai) would offset the disadvantage of negotiating floods with high heels. As any lifeguard will tell you, the less clothes you're wearing, the easier it is to stay afloat.

[bobbyreg]

Students at Ramkhamhaeng University 2 had to hitch up skirts and trousers and paddle through kneedeep water to get to exam halls.

Like ratcatcher I feel: This is useless without pictures.

you can blame the universities for the poor students having to hitch up skirts, not long ago, they were mini in length but the powers at be compained they were too short

Uniforms in Thailand now theres any oxy moron. Always amused me to see Uni girls struggling to get onto a songteaw the skirts being so tight that there was not enough leeway to get the legs far enough apart to get up the step and then there's the blouses that they stitch themselves into every morning.Lifes not easy for a Uni student.

this is irrelevant to the main topic and getting more explicit. Have a little respect to those human beings wearing mini skirts. To those people who are PREDATORS, you guys deserve to be locked up.

[Heng]

Yeah got caught in this on Srinakarin Road yesterday, could feel the sloshing current pushing my minivan back and forth a bit. Lots of stalled vehicles (slow down kiddies, rushing only increases your risk of sucking in water/a stall). Heng Jr. thought it was pretty exciting.

Getting my car and wet car mats cleaned today.

Edited October 15, 2009 by Heng

[Old Man River]

As long they don't build an sufficient drainage and sewer system and maintain it in a correct way it will always be the same.everytime time its rain numerous streets in BKK are flooded. I realy don't understand it, there are hunderds of klongs who could evacuate the rain, but they are all in a terrible state of maintenance.

When its rains for 30 minutes all the streets around my condo are flooded, and its take day's before the water is gone if there is no sunshine. My sister in law lives in Siwalee(Rangsit) the same story after, 30 minutes the water is 15cm high and its also takes day's before its gone;

The floods are dammaging the economy for billions every year, just calculate the lost labour costs and traffic jams because of it.

Instead of planning megolomaniac projects they better spend the money were its realy needed.

Henry, while I have seen Srinakarin under water, I have never seen it this far underwater. The entrance to my soi is still 3 feet deep and the soi behind me is similar. In front of my house the water has lowered and is now only about a foot deep. We would all be very happy with just 15 cm.

Of course, it doesn't help when the BMA openly admits that, in order to clear Srinakarin, they are pumping the water into the communities. Sukhumphand needs to remember that Srinakarin doesn't vote, but the people in the communities that they openly admit to be flooding do vote.

[Heng]

These floods would be a great time to have PSA's on television and the radio that remind people not to sweep waste/garbage into the gutters (and that includes BMA workers). "See all that muck floating around in front of your house, it's because so many people, perhaps you yourself 'muck ngai' and don't dispose of your garbage properly. Be safe, be sure to wash all that floating dog feces off your body with soap and oh yeah, som nam nar.... "

[EnhancePlus]

Maybe a good time to bring public trash cans back

[dumball]

Maybe a good time to bring public trash cans back

You mean those hollow containers that people drop detrius around , or in the proximity of , because they do not have the arm strength to actualy drop it IN the bin

[Rinrada]

Time to bring back the water buffalos as public transport....Toorists would love that.....

116 ...Theparak to Imperial World at Samrong is now leaving...all aboard....ding ding....mooo

[Thunder26]

Anyone know the total rainfall in mm for this year?

Hi there. You can have this information accessing the following website:

http://www.weather.go.th/en/archive/archive.php

Click on Daily Observation Report!

As you can see so far (Oct. 16th) rained 2051mm in Bangkok Metropolis (which is above average, the average is around 1600mm a year), 1838mm at Bangkok Port(Klong Toei), 1820mm at Bang Na, 1790mm at Don Muang.

From this data you can see that the center of Bangkok attracts more rain due to the high buildings and pollution, but let's see the final amount of rainfall at the end of the year, some changes in position are possible, especially for Bang Na and Klong Toei.

Edited October 16, 2009 by Thunder26

[brahmburgers]

Uniforms in Thailand now theres any oxy moron. Always amused me to see Uni girls struggling to get onto a songteaw the skirts being so tight that there was not enough leeway to get the legs far enough apart to get up the step and then there's the blouses that they stitch themselves into every morning.Lifes not easy for a Uni student.

this is irrelevant to the main topic and getting more explicit. Have a little respect to those human beings wearing mini skirts. To those people who are PREDATORS, you guys deserve to be locked up.

They locked me up, but I chomped thru the re-bar, and am back on the prowl again, hanging out at flooded street corners by Universities, waiting for those glorious moments when too-thin pretty college girls shoe-horn themselves in to belching tuk-tuks, LPG smoke bubbling up through the zero visibility muck. Am considering opening a clothes shop near a U, selling too-tight shirts to gals with no tits covered by required/ubiquitous quarter inch foam padded bras, but the moral police have my mug shot in hand, so I'm off to hang out at the SET where I can blend in with real predators.

[mommysboy]

Anyone know the total rainfall in mm for this year?

Hi there. You can have this information accessing the following website:

http://www.weather.go.th/en/archive/archive.php

Click on Daily Observation Report!

As you can see so far (Oct. 16th) rained 2051mm in Bangkok Metropolis (which is above average, the average is around 1600mm a year), 1838mm at Bangkok Port(Klong Toei), 1820mm at Bang Na, 1790mm at Don Muang.

From this data you can see that the center of Bangkok attracts more rain due to the high buildings and pollution, but let's see the final amount of rainfall at the end of the year, some changes in position are possible, especially for Bang Na and Klong Toei.

Oddly enough it's not been that wet around Fortune Town area. Just shows how random these things are.

[lordsux]

The remarkable thing about yesterdays (17th) extremely localized rainfall over Bangkok is that 7.69 cm's of rain fell in the timespan of about 2 hours, out of an accumalated 192.8 cm's for the year makes it 3.98% of the capitals rainfall so far this year. Similar freak statistics do occur and have occured several times this year, but even though they are freak, there is a definate pattern developing.

[mommysboy]

The remarkable thing about yesterdays (17th) extremely localized rainfall over Bangkok is that 7.69 cm's of rain fell in the timespan of about 2 hours, out of an accumalated 192.8 cm's for the year makes it 3.98% of the capitals rainfall so far this year. Similar freak statistics do occur and have occured several times this year, but even though they are freak, there is a definate pattern developing.

Same freakishness can be observed on TV.

But I agree, I'm sitting here in Fortune Town wondering what the fuss is about. Yes sure it rains, but once a day, not heavily and not for long!