Tropical Storm Pabuk could wreak havoc in southern coastal provinces from today until Saturday, especially in the popular tourist islands of Samui and Phangan in Surat Thani, authorities said yesterday.
Residents in 11 provinces have been warned by the Thai Meteorological Department to prepare for "severe conditions".
They are Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Krabi, Trang and Satun.
Chumphon and Surat Thani are tipped to feel the brunt of the cyclone as it barrels from the South China Sea across the country. The department said islands in this region are likely to suffer from heavy downpours until tomorrow.
"People living in Pabuk's path will face torrential downpours and strong winds. Waves in the Gulf are expected to surge as high as five metres," department chief Phuwieng Prakhammintara said.
The storm is named after a giant catfish, a native freshwater species found in the Mekong River. It is moving at a speed of 80km/hour.
Authorities are concerned how residents living in harm's way will fare as tropical storms are relatively rare in the kingdom, meaning people have less experience of dealing with them than other Southeast Asians such as Vietnam and the Philippines. Thailand more often faces low-scale storms, known as tropical depressions.
Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a marine scientist who serves as the deputy dean of Kasetsart University's Faculty of Fisheries, said he has been "gripped with worry" since learning about Pabuk's pending arrival.
"As we're not so familiar with this phenomenon, we may not that good at bracing for a storm [of this magnitude]," Mr Thon wrote on his Facebook page.
Pabuk left a trail of destruction in its wake when it smashed into the Philippines last week, painting a grim picture in some areas as the year drew to a close.
Oil explorers in the Gulf of Thailand have been evacuating their staff from offshore rigs since Monday. State-owned PTT has already sent about 300 personnel back to land-based operations.
Meanwhile, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has issued an "urgent" order to close off the sea around Moo Koh Ang Thong Marine National Park in Surat Thani until Saturday. The park lies in Pabuk's way.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged others living in its path to take safety precautions.
The government will do what it can to prevent any calamities and offer relief after it has passed, he said.
The Interior Ministry has been assigned to lead the operations, support by various agencies and the military.
Ferries between resort islands and the mainland have been instructed to suspect their services until the danger passes.
Navy commander Luechai Rutdit has ordered the warship HTMS Ang Thong, which is equipped with a makeshift hospital, to be on standby at Chon Buri's Sattahip district for possible rescue missions.
It can operate at sea for 45 days at a time.
Officials and fishermen in the southern provinces are also bracing for heavy rain, flash floods and mudslides. Surat Thani governor Witchawut Chinto has ordered pumps, boats and trucks to be ready.
In Yala and Phatthalung, officials are keeping close tabs on water levels in reservoirs and rivers.
Phatthalung governor Kukiat Wongkraphan has ordered reservoirs to release more water to make way for extra rainfall.
The worst natural disaster caused by a tropical storm was 1962 when Harriet hit southern parts of the country.