Downpours and rough seas are expected in Thailand over the next six days as two intense storms are heading towards China’s southern shores, the Meteorological Department warned on Wednesday.
Tropical Storm Barijat in the upper South China Sea was packing sustained winds around 70 kilometres per hour at 1 am on Wednesday and was moving westward at a speed of 15kph.
The storm was expected to reach Hong Kong and Hinan island in China between Thursday and Friday.
Coupled with the intensifying southwest monsoon that prevails in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, this would trigger more rain and rough seas, with waves up to two metres high, the weather office said.
Typhoon Mangkhut, in Pacific Ocean, was expected to pass over Luzon Island in the Philippines and also Taiwan between Friday and Saturday and into the south of China from Sunday to Tuesday.
The typhoon would cause the southwest monsoon covering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand to intensify, triggering more rain, with heavy downpours in some areas, including the Central Plains, the East and the western coast of the South.
People should be vigilant for flash floods, forest runoff, overflows and mudslides, the forecaster said.
Boats should proceed with caution and small vessels should remain ashore from Thursday to Tuesday, when waves would be two or three metres high.
Residents of 53 provinces across the country have been warned to stay vigilant for possible floods between Thursday and Tuesday.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) said 17 provinces are in the North, 18 in the Northeast, eight on the Central Plains, four in the East and six in the South.
Director-general Chayapol Thitisak said quick response units would be on alert and equipment ready to cope with emergencies, particularly in the low-lying areas, riverside locations and foothills.
Mr Chayapol also detailed the flood situation in Thailand between Aug 17 and Sept 12.
He said the southwest monsoon caused flash floods, overflows and landslides in 20 provinces during the period.
They covered Nan, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Phayao, Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom, Bung Kan, Phetchaburi, Sakon Nakhon, Lop Buri, Nakhon Nayok, Chaiyaphum, Phetchabun, Phichit, Kalasin, Ubon Ratchathani, Prachin Buri and Saraburi.
The DDPM chief said 203,054 people from 6,832 households were affected by the deluge with four deaths during the period. The good news is, the flooding in 13 provinces has now subsided, he added.