Following a night of torrential rain which paralysed traffic on several main roads in the capital, the weather office has warned residents there could be a repeat of the nightmare on Tuesday night.
The daily 5am weather forecast issued by the Meteorological Department said more rain is expected over 60% of Bangkok and the surrounding provinces, with “heavy” rain forecast for some areas.
Downpours during the evening rush hours on Monday resulted in serious traffic congestion in many areas of the city, while the disruption of the Purple Line electric train service exacerbated commuting problems.
Several hundred passengers, mostly office workers, were stranded at Tao Poon station on the Purple Line after the service was suspended due to a technical problem. Service resumed about 7.30pm.
The Metropolitan Rapid Transit Authority later said the problem was the result of a malfunction of the electricity distribution system, caused by heavy rain.
The torrential rain was brought by the stronger southwest monsoon coupled with the impact of a low pressure area over neighbouring Laos and upper Vietnam, the weather office said.
Several roads in Pattaya City were reported heavily flooded on Monday night following heavy rain. Sukhumvit Road, Beach Road and Pattaya-Na Kleau Road in the popular coastal tourist destination were partially covered with floodwater between 30cm and 90cm deep, reports said.
City workers were this morning speeding up the draining of the water.
Elsewhere in the country, the municipality and business centre of That Phanom district of the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom became flooded after an hour-long downpour on Mondayevening.
The flood was blamed on the rising level of the Mekong River, which slowed the draining of the run-off. Overflows were also reported in some riverside areas in neighbouring Renu Nakhon district as well as in Phon Phisai district of Nong Khai, where some schools near the river were ordered to close down for two days.