The announcement was issued by TMD Deputy Director-General Kornrawee Sitthichivapak.
“At 4.00 am on 28 August, Tropical Storm PODUL moved into the South China Sea, and at 10.00 am it was centered at latitude 17.1 degrees north, longitude 116.7 degrees east with its maximum sustained wind of 74 km/hr,” Miss Kornrawee said in the announcement.
“At a speed of about 35 km/hr, the storm will be forecast to move west through Hainan to the Gulf of Tonkin and then upper Vietnam by 30 August,” she explained.
“From 29 August to 1 September, it will affect Thailand with more rains likely while torrential rains will affect some of the Northeast by 29 August, then the North, the East and the South (west coast). People should brace for the severe conditions that may cause flash flood,” Miss Kornrawee warned.
“From 29 August to 1 September, the strong southwest monsoon prevails across the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand leading to more rainfalls in the South and the East with isolated heavy rains possible.
“The strong wind will rise the wave up to 2-3 meters high in the Andaman Sea, 2-3 meters high in the upper Gulf and more than 3 meters high in thundershower areas. All ships should proceed with caution and keep off thundershowers. Small boats keep ashore, and stay tuned for the weather updated,” the warning added.
The national DDPM office and the TMD on Monday both issued a weather advisory warning people in all Andaman provinces – Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang, Satun – of heavy isolated rains and strong wind waves reaching up to three metres high from last Sunday (Aug 25) through to Saturday (Aug 31).
In thundershower areas, waves can reach even more than three meters high, the warning noted.
The Phuket Marine Office followed suit, issuing its own advisory for small boats to saty ashore and for operators of large boats to beware dangerous weather. (See story here.)
Prapan Kanprasang, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket), urged people to heed a weather warning issued by but has noted that it is “just regular” advisory issued as a precaution.
“We need to issue such warnings just in case,” Mr Prapan told The Phuket News on Monday (Aug 26).
“The notice is mostly aimed at officials to make sure they are ready just in case they are needed urgently, but we need to warn people in risk areas, too,” he said.
However, The Phuket News notes that the latest weather warning issued today appears to urge people to take the weather warning more seriously.
People are urged to follow weather announcements by the TMD, and for more information to check the TMD website www.tmd.go.th or call weather forecast hotline 1182.