Two storms are forecast to hit Thailand next week, potentially affecting Election Day on May 14, according to the Climate Change and Disaster Centre at Rangsit University.
Cyclone Mocha is currently causing heavy rainfall in the Bay of Bengal while another tropical depression is forming in the South China Sea near the Philippines, said the centre’s director, Seri Suparatit.
The two storms would start to affect Thailand from May 9. However, heat and a low-pressure trough will cause thunderstorms starting on May 8 in the central, eastern, northeastern and northern regions, he wrote in a Facebook post on Friday.
He said there was a 30% chance of thunderstorms, especially in the South, on Election Day on May 14.
Heavy rainfall on Election Day could ruin ballot papers, candidate information, polling booths and ballot boxes as well as slow down traffic.
“We still have a week, I would suggest the EC arrange indoor locations to prevent inconvenience on Election Day,” he wrote.
However, he said a week of rainfall at the start of the rainy season would also ease drought concerns for farmers.
He recommended that provincial administrative organisations across the country speed up the construction of water retention areas, and check dams and channels for storing rainfall for later use following the end of the rainy season.