Typhoon Utor's flood threat to border districts in northern Thailand

[webfact]

Typhoon Utor's flood threat to border districts in North
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Northern Thailand is bracing for downpours influenced by Typhoon Utor moving inland from the South China Sea and due today.

Already Tak's five border districts, including Mae Sot and Phop Phra, have suffered flash flooding, which made several sections of the Phop Phra-Umphang Road impassable for vehicles.

Several villages in tambon Chong Khaep of Phop Phra district have been inundated, and officials and volunteers are helping flood-hit residents move belongings to higher ground.

Some water levels receded rapidly in Mae Sot, but Mayor Terdkiat Chinsoranant has urged officials and locals to brace for more flooding as rainfall continues. The municipality has prepared and is giving sandbags to its residents free of charge.

In Uthai Thani, run-offs from Nakhon Sawan province's Mae Wong Forest poured into waterways in Muang district's tambon Thung Yai, prompting officials to monitor for overflows.

The Wang Rom Klao Dam's three sluice gates were opened 60 centimetres to release excess water to the Sakae Krang River at a rate of 6 million cubic metres a day to prevent flooding in Muang, Thap Than and Sawang Arom districts.

Pipat Ruang-ngam, director of the National Water and Flood Management Policy Office, said Utor was expected to bring rainfall to all regions until next Sunday - Chiang Rai, Tak and Nan might have mudslides - but all dams were able to support the extra water pressure.

Weather officials reported Thailand's accumulated rainfall so far this year was 878.5 millilitres - already 13.78 millimetres more than last year.

Royal Irrigation Department deputy director-general Suthep Noipairoj warned that Utor, the first typhoon to gather in the South China Sea this season, was as powerful as Typhoon Gay that wrecked southern Thailand in 1989. However Thailand would not be affected by heavy rain and brief flooding to the same extent this time, he said.

Wichan Tinnowet, director of Lamphun's meteorological station, warned that Utor would lead to heavy rainfall and floods in the North. This could be a second blow to Lamphun's Muang district, where 30 riverside homes in tambon Pratu Pa and Rimping are already under 30cm-deep flood water.


-- The Nation 2013-08-14

[retell]

a little map would make the situation so much more clear

so if anybody has one ?

i'm still sipping my first cup of coffee

not up for googeling yet

[nonthaburial]

Don't know about North Thailand, but here in Dongguan China the wind is howling and rain almost horizontal

[poohy]

Don't know about North Thailand, but here in Dongguan China the wind is howling and rain almost horizontal

Sounds like a good day in Langsuan at this time of the year!

[iancnx]

Tak and central areas. What a load of old tosh. Utor is set to follow the north Vietnamese/Chinese border westwards, south of Kunming and likely to affect northern most areas of Nan, Phayao, Chang Rai, Chiang Mai provinces. Of course northern flood waters might contribute to problems further south eventually.

[Maybole]

a little map would make the situation so much more clear

so if anybody has one ?

i'm still sipping my first cup of coffee

not up for googeling yet

Try bbc.co.uk/weather and reuqest chiangmai or chiangrai

[onionluke]

Typhoon Utor has made landfall near Yangjiang in western Guangdong. At 4 p.m., Utor was estimated to be about 240 kilometres west-southwest of Hong Kong (near 21.7 degrees north 111.9 degrees east) and is forecast to move northwest or north-northwest at about 14 kilometres per hour into inland of western Guangdong.

[ozyjon]

Won't the rain hit Savannkhet then Udon Thani before it hits Chiang Mai, i always read about Chiang Mai as being the North of Thailand but what about other cities,, they are North also, aren't they?

[MaxLee]

Won't the rain hit Savannkhet then Udon Thani before it hits Chiang Mai, i always read about Chiang Mai as being the North of Thailand but what about other cities,, they are North also, aren't they?

Be careful Chiang Mai is the holy holy home of Barbie Proxyn Shinawatra and must be ESPECIALLY addressed THEEEEE NORTH of Thailand courtesy

"I'm coming over by private jet soon, bye bye."

Edited August 14, 2013 by MaxLee

[DGIE]

All I thought we don't have typhoon here in Thailand?

What I know of typhoon is a strong wind and heavy rains.

[Lite Beer]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[NanLaew]

All I thought we don't have typhoon here in Thailand?

What I know of typhoon is a strong wind and heavy rains.

Thailand is well south of 'typhoon alley' and typically only suffers from the heavy rains that form on the southern periphery of typhoons making landfall in south China or north Vietnam. Swollen rivers, flooding and mudslides are not uncommon.

The only typhoon that directly impacted Thailand was Typhoon Gay in 1898. It formed quickly in the southern Gulf of Thailand in early November, trashed a swath through Chumphon leaving 833 dead and 134 missing. After crossing Myanmar it reformed in the Andaman, crossed the Bay of Bengal and went on to kill people in India.

Edited August 15, 2013 by NanLaew

[NanLaew]

^ Edit: Typhoon Gay was in 1989. (typing too fast!)

[Mosha]

All I thought we don't have typhoon here in Thailand?

What I know of typhoon is a strong wind and heavy rains.

Thailand is well south of 'typhoon alley' and typically only suffers from the heavy rains that form on the southern periphery of typhoons making landfall in south China or north Vietnam. Swollen rivers, flooding and mudslides are not uncommon.

The only typhoon that directly impacted Thailand was Typhoon Gay in 1898. It formed quickly in the southern Gulf of Thailand in early November, trashed a swath through Chumphon leaving 833 dead and 134 missing. After crossing Myanmar it reformed in the Andaman, crossed the Bay of Bengal and went on to kill people in India.

I think one hit NST about 50 years ago. My wife was caught up in it, and there is a film about it.

[boomerangutang]

All is calm, with partly cloudy skies, here now in Chiang Rai. Birds are tweet tweetin' away. The calm before the storm?

Last week was stormy. I rode a country road, between Mae Suway and Fang, and sawscores of concrete power poles were snapped and bowled over.