Freezing temperatures in North, Northeast

By The Nation

The mercury continues to drop in most of North and the Northeast, with a Chiang Rai resident succumbing to the cold in his sleep yesterday and five districts in Chiang Mai close to being declared disaster zones.

Muang Chiang Rai resident Noppakhun Saenyod, 52, reportedly fell asleep in his shorts and vest without covering up in a blanket at night, when the temperature was as low as 10 degrees Celsius. Since police found no signs of a struggle or wounds on his body, they believe that he died of acute heart failure owing to his chronic heart condition.

The temperature in Chiang Rai hit 13 degrees Celsius yesterday morning and is expected to drop even further at night, especially in mountainous areas. Hence people have been busy shopping for winter clothing at markets in Muang district and Mae Sai district, which is on the Burmese border.

Meanwhile, Chiang Mai authorities are considering declaring Omkoi, Fang, Mae Ai, Chaiya Prakan and Wiang Haeng districts as disaster zones, because the mercury has been below 15 degrees Celsius for three consecutive days. In Fang - where 20,000 of the 170,000 residents are in urgent need of winter clothing - the temperature has been between 13 and 15 degrees since Monday, while the temperature at mountain villages such as Doi Ang Khang's Khob Dong village stood at 5 to 8 degrees.

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office Region 10 in Lampang yesterday set up a centre to tackle problems at each province under its supervision, namely Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun and Mae Hong Son. The centre will survey residents and provide winter clothing.

Meanwhile, veterinarians at the Lampang Elephant Hospital are doing what they can to keep the 16 patients and new mothers warm.

In Phitsanulok, where the mercury has dropped to 10-12 degrees, provincial governor Preecha Reungchan yesterday set up a centre and urged related officials to prepare winter clothing for distribution.

-- The Nation 2010-11-05

ASTV: Chiang Mai officials declare 5 districts danger zones after temps dropped below 15 degrees 3 days in a row /via@TAN_Network:

Chiang Mai Experiences Cold Wave

Chiang Mai officials have declared five districts danger zones after temperatures dropped below 15 degrees three days in a row. Another warning is out from the Meteorological Department, saying temperatures will drop even further in all regions of Thailand except for the South, which will encounter more rain.

-- Tan Network 2010-11-05

5 degree on top of ChiangRai's mountain... the province to declare disaster zone on 18 districts. /via@nnanews /via@Tulip_Oum:

Cold spell grips northern region, Chiang Mai names 5 districts disaster zones, 10 degrees Celsius monitored atop Phitsanulok mountain /MCOT

It will be SNOWing in the Golden Circle next

These erroneous, untrue, headlines bother me more and more. So, after reading the post; where in Thailand is there freezing temperatures? 10 degrees is not freezing. Cold yes, freezing no!

These erroneous, untrue, headlines bother me more and more. So, after reading the post; where in Thailand is there freezing temperatures? 10 degrees is not freezing. Cold yes, freezing no!

Agreed. The cooler temperatures serve a very important role in controlling disease. Cooler temperatures slow the growth of viruses and bacteria colonies As well, it helps to keep mosquito populations less active. I appreciate that some people may succumb during cool periods , but these are people suffering from pre-existing conditions that put them in death's waiting room already. More people die due to extreme heat conditions than they do from an ambient temperature of 10-15C. No one blames the temperature when the at risk people die during periods of 35C+.

These erroneous, untrue, headlines bother me more and more. So, after reading the post; where in Thailand is there freezing temperatures? 10 degrees is not freezing. Cold yes, freezing no!

Yes, it does feel chilly but so far no more than normal for this time of year. Think these headlines are rather exaggerated.

I won`t be installing a central heating system just yet, but next week could be a different story.

Edited November 5, 201015 yr by Beetlejuice

These erroneous, untrue, headlines bother me more and more. So, after reading the post; where in Thailand is there freezing temperatures? 10 degrees is not freezing. Cold yes, freezing no!

Agreed. The cooler temperatures serve a very important role in controlling disease. Cooler temperatures slow the growth of viruses and bacteria colonies As well, it helps to keep mosquito populations less active. I appreciate that some people may succumb during cool periods , but these are people suffering from pre-existing conditions that put them in death's waiting room already. More people die due to extreme heat conditions than they do from an ambient temperature of 10-15C. No one blames the temperature when the at risk people die during periods of 35C+.

Yes they do. Happened in Europe a year or two ago when quite a large number of people died during a heat wave.

10 to 15 degrees is not 'freezing'.

For poor people living in the mountains (no blankets, no appropriate clothes, food and shelter) it``s "freezing".

For poor people living in the mountains (no blankets, no appropriate clothes, food and shelter) it``s "freezing".

No, it is 'very cold'.

when i think my family in ukraine has temperature of -30° celsius during the winter....

For poor people living in the mountains (no blankets, no appropriate clothes, food and shelter) it``s "freezing".

No, it is 'very cold'.

freezing point

  –noun Physical Chemistry . the temperature at which a liquid freezes: The freezing point of water is 32°F, 0°C.

In the Ukraine, and many other places, "very cold" would be an exaggeration

ASTV: Chiang Mai officials declare 5 districts danger zones after temps dropped below 15 degrees 3 days in a row /via@TAN_Network:

That's not cold I still sleep without a blanket and the fan on.

Its about what you are used to. For those of you who have been here a while, do you remember what the heat and humidity was like in Bangkok when you first arrived? I do - unbearable! But now being here some years, its still hot and humid, but like others I have acclimatised.

For poor people living in the mountains (no blankets, no appropriate clothes, food and shelter) it``s "freezing".

I have traveled and slept in a number of mountain villages. Just yesterday, I rode to Wat Chan and Pai and it was cold. "Cold" is a relative term. I do feel for the people and it is truly uncomfortable for them, and yes, using the slang form of "freezing" may be appropriate for what they experience. But the fact is, it is not truly freezing.

My complaint is all the misleading, fabricated, and overzealous form of headlines that always appear on this forum, perhaps to draw you in. There are no "Freezing Temperatures" in Thailand at the moment. The headline, as written, is simply not true. Period.

ASTV: Chiang Mai officials declare 5 districts danger zones after temps dropped below 15 degrees 3 days in a row /via@TAN_Network:

That's not cold I still sleep without a blanket and the fan on.

And I'm under the quilt when it drops below 25*C ..... different people have different tolerances.

For poor people living in the mountains (no blankets, no appropriate clothes, food and shelter) it``s "freezing".

I have traveled and slept in a number of mountain villages. Just yesterday, I rode to Wat Chan and Pai and it was cold. "Cold" is a relative term. I do feel for the people and it is truly uncomfortable for them, and yes, using the slang form of "freezing" may be appropriate for what they experience. But the fact is, it is not truly freezing.

My complaint is all the misleading, fabricated, and overzealous form of headlines that always appear on this forum, perhaps to draw you in. There are no "Freezing Temperatures" in Thailand at the moment. The headline, as written, is simply not true. Period.

Agreed I was expecting to see pictures of ice...

For poor people living in the mountains (no blankets, no appropriate clothes, food and shelter) it``s "freezing".

I have traveled and slept in a number of mountain villages. Just yesterday, I rode to Wat Chan and Pai and it was cold. "Cold" is a relative term. I do feel for the people and it is truly uncomfortable for them, and yes, using the slang form of "freezing" may be appropriate for what they experience. But the fact is, it is not truly freezing.

My complaint is all the misleading, fabricated, and overzealous form of headlines that always appear on this forum, perhaps to draw you in. There are no "Freezing Temperatures" in Thailand at the moment. The headline, as written, is simply not true. Period.

Agreed I was expecting to see pictures of ice...

10 degrees is cool, minus 40 is freezing, January in Yellowknife is freezing.

These erroneous, untrue, headlines bother me more and more. So, after reading the post; where in Thailand is there freezing temperatures? 10 degrees is not freezing. Cold yes, freezing no!

Yeah where's the icy roads and buckets of salted grit? And as for the guy who died from the "freezing" conditions he had a heart disorder and died of a heart attach! He wouldn't have even been mentioned if he'd died on a warm evening. It's a bit like saying someone died from a steel allergy when they where stabbed through the chest.

The wife comes from Loei and she has said that she has seen ice on small pools of water a few times in her life; zero degrees does actually happen a couple of times per century in Thailand

No freezing temperatures at the moment but I bet there will be more people who die anyway if it goes down to +5.

10 to 15 degrees is not 'freezing'.

Sounds like a bad but average summer in Sweden! 5555

A doctor once told me that it takes up to 2 months for you body to acclimatize to significantly lower or higher temperatures. It does that by thinning blood somewhat in higher temps (easier & quicker flow to transport inner-body heat to the outside for cooling), or by making it slightly thicker in lower temps (in order to retain inner-body warmth). So: when there's a sudden drop in temperatures, people accustomed to higher temps suffer lots more! And no, it doesn't really kill anyone who doesn't have a pretty bad pre-condition.

We've been to Pai when temps at night were at 10°C, sleeping fully clothed & in a tight huddle. "Freezing" because there were no brick walls and double glazing in the huts we slept in, and at best an excuse for blankets -- pretty much the situation people living there are in. But we also had a guest from Sweden along, and she walked around in just T-shirts...

What happens to all the blankets and warm clothing they dish out each year - I've worn the same 'winter' gear for years, do those "in need" just sell it at the end of each cold season? If so, who is buying it...?!

I feel sorry for the poor who have no warm clothing even food, in cold weather. Food warms the body but clothing is essential. As the Northern areas of Thailand always experience cold (not freezing) temperatures, you would at least think there would be some warmth and preparedness as sensibilties? But if any charities are available or a clothing drive is done there would not be much in warm clothing available from within Thailand hand outs. It would have to come from overseas.

These erroneous, untrue, headlines bother me more and more. So, after reading the post; where in Thailand is there freezing temperatures? 10 degrees is not freezing. Cold yes, freezing no!

I am sure that 10 degrees C must be the freezing point of something. Nobody specified water did they? Have you ever sat in on a Thai school science lesson? Everything is possible in Thailand.

Temperature under 8 degrees is officially a disater, as is a period of 3 days under 15 degrees.

Disasters allow well-connected people to sell large stocks of blankets to the government at a unit price of 180 baht wholesale!!!!

Does anyone know where last year's free blankets went?

Chiang Mai declares cold snap disaster zones

CHIANG MAI, Nov 5 - Thailand's northern province of Chiang Mai declared five districts as disaster zones affected by cold spell after temperatures dropped lower than 15 degrees Celsius for more than three days.

Chiang Mai governor Panadda Diskul endorsed five districts including Mae Ai, Fang, Mae Chaem, Omkoi and Chaiprakan districts.

According to official surveys, 430,000 people were affected by cold snap and most live in mountainous areas near borders. Local authorities are surveying whether another eight districts should also be declared disaster zones.

In Chiang Mai’s Chom Thong district, students at Baankhunklang school on Doi Inthanon exercised before class as the temperature at the mountaintop school was measured at 8.6 degree Celsius. The school budget is insufficient to buy warm clothes for its 420 students. School director Veera Sirirat asked for donations of warm clothes to students at telephone number 087-1819639.

In Phitsalunok, 104 students of Rong Kla Wittaya School in Nakhon Thai district are suffering from the cold weather with low temperatures of 10 degrees Celsius and face shortages of warm clothings. Some of them have a cold.

Rong Kla Wittaya School is located 1,400 metres above the sea level, the highest point in the province, and is located in the mountains.

Meanwhile, Chiang Rai planned to declare 18 districts as disaster zone because the cold spell and temperatures which are lower than 15 degrees Celsius continue for four days. Mountaintop temperatures are about 5-7 degrees Celcius on average and more than 300,000 people have asked local authorities for warm clothes. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2010-11-05

It's definately gotten pretty cool in Bangkok at times lately too. I've never known it this cool - at times - and I've been in Thailand many years. I've even switched off the fan because it blows too cool.