The four southern provinces of Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are being hit by heavy rain and severe floods that have ravaged houses and forced schools and roads to close.
In Songkhla, downpours inundated roads, especially busy Kanjanavanich Road that links Hat Yai district to Muang district. Authorities have had to close sections of the road and redirect traffic via detours, including along Lopburi Ramaed Road, according to officials.
Meanwhile, several schools in the province, including Taveerat School, Hat Yai Wittayalai 2 School and Hat Yai Wittayalai Somboonkulkanya School, have cancelled classes after flash floods inundated their premises.
Reports said tambon Ban Pru in Hat Yai was among the hardest-hit areas, with water levels exceeding 1.5 metres and a 300-metre-long section of road closed due to flooding. Approximately 250 residents were affected and more than 100 homes submerged.
The Hat Yai City municipality has set up a flood relief centre in tambon Ban Rai and at Ban Khlong Pom School in tambon Ban Pru to accommodate evacuees.
Additionally, sandbag distribution points were open around the clock at Jiranakorn Stadium and Hat Yai City Municipal Park. Residents can pick up sandbags by presenting their ID cards.
In Narathiwat, Ban Yaho School has suspended classes indefinitely due to floodwater reaching 90 centimetres at its peak on Wednesday.
Narathiwat Primary Education Service Area Office 2 has instructed all schools under its supervision in five affected districts to come up with plans for dealing with flash floods.
Meanwhile, Yala is facing its worst flooding in two decades, according to residents.
Several downtown areas in Muang district, including tambons Sateng Nok, Tha Sap and Budi, have been inundated.
Yala City municipality issued a warning, advising locals to move valuable belongings to higher ground in light of surging floodwaters.
Residents in other districts who live near the Sai Buri River have been warned to do the same as the river is at risk of overflowing.
The Public Health Ministry will closely monitor 113 flood-prone hospitals and clinics in the four southernmost provinces until Saturday and put in place measures to keep medical services running.
The Thai Meteorological Department forecasts that heavy rain in the eastern part of the South, driven by a strong northeast monsoon and a low-pressure system, will persist until Saturday.
It was also reported on Wednesday that the downpours and floods have meant that all trains bound for Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat will terminate at Hat Yai Junction as some sections of track beyond Hat Yai were impassable.