A severe flooding crisis has gripped Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, as relentless heavy rain and thunderstorms submerged streets in waist-high water, prompting officials to declare the city a disaster zone. The downpours, fueled by a persistent low-pressure system lingering over central Thailand, dumped record-breaking rainfall—including over 213 millimeters in a single 24-hour stretch near the capital—before finally easing as the weather system shifted. While the worst of the flooding has now subsided, the deluge has left widespread damage in its wake. Meanwhile, Hurricane Nolo is posing a fresh threat to Hawaii’s Big Island, adding to the region’s recent string of extreme weather events.
Capital city submerged in waist-high flood water, while elsewhere Hurricane Nolo threatens Hawaii’s Big IslandBangkok was declared a disaster zone by its city officials towards the end of last week, after streets in Thailand’s capital city were submerged in up to waist-high flood water. The flooding stemmed from an active cell of low pressure across central Thailand that brought continuous heavy rainfall and thunderstorms to Bangkok and surrounding regions.The heavy rain began early on Thursday when the weak area of low pressure travelled north-westwards up the gulf of Thailand before then sitting over central Thailand by Friday morning. For most of the following two days this low pressure remained roughly in situ, which allowed unrelenting downpours over Bangkok and nearby areas. One weather station near Prachin Buri, just north-east of the capital, recorded 213.5mm within a 24-hour period between Friday and Saturday evening local time – for comparison, London receives an average 585mm a year). Fortunately, the centre of the low-pressure cell shifted north-westwards on Sunday and brought an end to the torrential rainfall. Continue reading...
