Typhoon 'Prapiroon' Brings Rain, Flood Warning

[george]

Typhoon 'Prapiroon' brings rain, flood warning

BANGKOK: -- The Meteorological Department has issued a flash flood warning for low-lying areas in 14 provinces this week as more rain is expected from a typhoon.

The department forecast that typhoon "Prapiroon"--currently over the South China Sea--will cause heavy rainfall in the upper part of Thailand and heavy seas in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.

Villagers in at-risk and low lying areas in 14 provinces including Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Tak, Lamphun, Lampang, Phrae, Nan, Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Sakon Nakhon, Prachin Buri and Nakhon Phanom should beware of flash flood and forest run-offs from August 3-5.

Meanwhile, the flood situation in the northern province of Chiang Rai has receded and the situation is almost back to normal. About 50 houses and some paddy fields are still under water.

However, local government officials are still on alert for possible floods as overnight rainfall on Wednesday raised water levels in the Mae Lao River and the Khok River posing a flood threat to low lying lands along both rivers.

--TNA 2006-08-03

[george]

Tropical storm set to bring more bad weather to North

Severe tropical storm "Pra Pirun" is forecast to worsen the flood situation in the North and cause heavy rain and flash-floods in the Northeast and East of Thailand.

Pra Pirun was yesterday centred in the South China Sea about 550 kilometres southeast of Hainan island. Maximum wind velocity recorded near its centre was about 110kph.

It was moving northwest at about 15kph and would affect Thailand's weather.

The storm has already caused heavy rain in northern provinces including Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, Lampang and Mae Hong Son.

Kriengsak Khet-in, an official of the Northeast region meteorological centre, said people in lowland areas of Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom, Ubon Ratchathani, Mukdahan and adjacent provinces should beware of flash-floods in the next few days.

"The tropical storm will increase in power and reach land on Sunday. It will bring heavy rain to 80 per cent of the Northeast," Kriengsak said.

Meanwhile, the unprecedented flooding in Chiang Mai and several northern provinces on Monday has left businesses suffering huge losses, the tourism industry in tatters, schools closed and train services suspended.

Rain still fell on the northern capital yesterday, but the flood water was receding as local officials used 20 pumping machines to drain the water.

Heavy rain in Chiang Rai province on Tuesday night caused water to overflow from two reservoirs and submerge 300 houses and about 1,000 rai of farmland in Pan district.

"The flood situation will worsen if there is more rain. Residents in areas near the reservoirs have been evacuated," said a Pan district official.

Samart Choknapitak, the director-general of the Royal Irrigation Department, said the severe floods in northern provinces were caused by the huge quantity of rainwater, not by the construction sites at Chiang Mai's Night Safari or the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek expo allegedly blocking watercourses.

The department had already built a one-million-cubic-metre reservoir in the Night Safari and a two-million-cubic-metre reservoir at the construction site of the Royal Flora expo to prevent flooding, Samart said.

As a long-term measure to prevent flooding in Chiang Mai, the department planned to build another two reservoirs, which could contain about 100 million cubic metres of water, at a cost of Bt14 billion, he said.

--The Nation 2006-08-03

[Jai Dee]

See the latest satellite image of the approaching storm here.

[mumbojumbo]

Looks a little better-its heading more North.

http://tsr.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/ = good site

Jai Dee, couldn't get sat image to come up.

[lopburi3]

The Java script does not seem to run in my Opera 9 browser for the Jai Dee link but it shows up ok in IE.

[bubba]

I can't see where Thailand will get much of this storm. Since early today, most models have had it tracking well to the north and dissipating in southeastern China within the next 48 hours.

"The tropical storm will increase in power and reach land on Sunday. It will bring heavy rain to 80 per cent of the Northeast," Kriengsak said.

What? Everything I have seen says that Typhoon Prapiroon will make landfall in the next 12 hours, well up the Chinese coast. And it probably will have totally dissipated by Sunday.

Where do TMD get these forecast data anyway?

(Have a look at this one for very current typhoon information)

Joint Typhoon Warning Center:

http://www.npmoc.navy.mil/jtwc.html

[Phil Conners]

Pattaya is nice and cool for a chance!

[iosufm]

Where do TMD get these forecast data anyway?

where else, from maw duu

[mumbojumbo]

I can't see where Thailand will get much of this storm. Since early today, most models have had it tracking well to the north and dissipating in southeastern China within the next 48 hours.

"The tropical storm will increase in power and reach land on Sunday. It will bring heavy rain to 80 per cent of the Northeast," Kriengsak said.

What? Everything I have seen says that Typhoon Prapiroon will make landfall in the next 12 hours, well up the Chinese coast. And it probably will have totally dissipated by Sunday.

If you look at the typhoon tracking, and it doesn't show your area very close, these storms have a very big diameter, and if you are on the outskirts, you can still get dumped on good. We don't need any more in th North for a while

[soap]

I can't see where Thailand will get much of this storm. Since early today, most models have had it tracking well to the north and dissipating in southeastern China within the next 48 hours.

"The tropical storm will increase in power and reach land on Sunday. It will bring heavy rain to 80 per cent of the Northeast," Kriengsak said.

What? Everything I have seen says that Typhoon Prapiroon will make landfall in the next 12 hours, well up the Chinese coast. And it probably will have totally dissipated by Sunday.

If you look at the typhoon tracking, and it doesn't show your area very close, these storms have a very big diameter, and if you are on the outskirts, you can still get dumped on good. We don't need any more in th North for a while

i agree with mumbojumbo

i have lived in chaingrai for over 15 years and last night we had the biggest storm in my village that i can remember,it lashed down all night,the thunder and lightening was frightening,the electric went off about 11pm and did not come back on till 4pm today,the rice fields are completly saturated with water a month before they should be.

lets hope it just stops raining.

[Paulv]

Pattaya is nice and cool for a chance!

CHANCE??? OR CHANGE

[rishi]

Well, I guess I better close my windows then ... What a drag.

[Scott]

Best of luck to the people in the affected areas. I think the TMD is best to safe rather than sorry, these storms do have a huge diameter and the outer bands can produce large amounts of moisture--although they don't usually have the winds.

[chownah]

".............. last night we had the biggest storm in my village that i can remember,it lashed down all night,the thunder and lightening was frightening,the electric went off about 11pm and did not come back on till 4pm today,the rice fields are completly saturated with water a month before they should be.

lets hope it just stops raining.

Actually the rice fields should be saturated right now.....this is the rainy season and almost all of the rice in the north has been planted (any planting not done yet where I live is considered getting close to being too late) so by now you definitely want your rice fields to be saturated...and generally speaking in most years they are.

[terry57]

Pattaya is nice and cool for a chance!

CHANCE??? OR CHANGE

could be one or the other!

same same but different sort of gig.

[terry57]

Well, I guess I better close my windows then ... What a drag.

might be a top idea to wack a bit of super glue around the edges as well fella.

[BigSnake]

Bring it on I for one would rather have to much rain then not enough. "RAIN DROPS KEEP FALLING ON MY HEAD"