The Meteorological Department has set up a war room to closely monitor the depression in the South China Sea. It is expected to make landfall in Vietnam early tomorrow morning, then weaken and enter the upper Northeast on 21 September. It emphasizes the need to watch out for flash floods, forest runoff, and mudslides along the storm’s path. The water level in rivers is already high and may overflow the banks even more.
Lt. Col. Thanaset Aiemonanchai, Deputy Director-General of the Meteorological Department, said that the Meteorological Department has opened an operations center to closely monitor the depression in the South China Sea in order to be able to predict the rain and water situation in risk areas and then provide timely warnings to the public.
Today (September 19, 2024) at 04.00, the depression in the upper South China Sea has not yet been upgraded to a tropical storm and is moving slightly slower. Its center is approximately 300 kilometers northeast of Quang Tri, Vietnam, or at latitude 17.5 deg
rees north, longitude 110.0 degrees east, with maximum wind speeds near the center of approximately 55 kilometers per hour. This storm is moving west at a speed of approximately 20 kilometers per hour. It is likely to intensify into a tropical storm today and is expected to make landfall in central Vietnam in the area of ??Danang in the early morning of September 20, 2024, after which it will gradually weaken.
If it intensifies into a tropical storm, it will be named ‘Soulik,’ the name of an ancient chief of the island of Pohnpei, Federated Republic of Micronesia.
The storm will move through Laos and cover the upper northeastern region. While it covers Thailand, it will be a depression. However, Thailand will be affected from the time the storm makes landfall in Vietnam, including Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Nong Khai, and Bueng Kan provinces, causing more rain and strong winds.
The areas that will be most affected are the central to upper Northeastern region, which is the first area the storm moves into. The
provinces at the center of the storm will be more affected than the provinces at the edge of the storm. The depression will weaken into a low pressure cell as it moves westward through the lower Northern and upper Central regions in the areas of Phetchabun and Phitsanulok provinces, and then exit Thailand at Tak province.
Therefore, risk areas as warned by the Meteorological Department must be vigilant for flash floods, forest runoff, and mudslides, as well as be careful of water in rivers that already have a large volume of water overflowing their banks.
Mr. Somkuan Tonjan, Director of the Weather Forecasting Division, said that the influence of the storm will cause more rain in Thailand, not just in the area where the storm is moving through, because the monsoon trough covering the lower North, Central, and Northeastern regions at this time will enter a depression covering the central South China Sea.
The Meteorological Department has therefore issued a warning for areas that will experience heavy to ver
y heavy rain on 19-20 September, including the provinces of Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon, Mukdahan, Loei, Udon Thani, Nong Bua Lamphu, Chaiyaphum, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham and Roi Et. Then, on 20-21 September, there will be heavy to very heavy rain in some areas of the eastern and lower northern region, including the provinces of Phrae, Nan, Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Phichit, Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai and Tak.
In addition, there is also the influence of the stronger southwest monsoon blowing towards the depression and low pressure cell, causing the lower central region, including Bangkok and its vicinity, the eastern region including Nakhon Nayok, Rayong, Chonburi, Chanthaburi and Trat, as well as the southern region, especially the Andaman coast including Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun, to also be careful of waves that will be stronger.
The public is asked to closely follow the warnings from the Meteorological Department, including monitoring the rain and w
ater situation especially until September 23, 2024.
Source: Thai News Agency
