Tropical Storm Thailand

[Agenor Ramadan]

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BANGKOK, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Thai Meteorological Department said (TMD) on Thursday that tropical storm Mun which made landfall in northern Vietnam had brought heavy rainfalls and strong winds across Thailand.

Images from the Thai TV displayed high water level in the Mekong River and damage to a construction site in Nakhon Phanom province. Foundation of a riverbank viewpoint collapsed due to riverbank erosion.

Tropical Storm Harriet was a tropical cyclone that hit Thailand and East Pakistan in October 1962. It formed in the South China Sea before making landfall in Southern Thailand and crossing the Malay Peninsula into the Bay of Bengal. It caused extensive damage in Thailand, especially in the area of Laem Talumphuk, where it wiped out entire villages, caused over 900 fatalities and left over 10,000 people homeless, making it the deadliest storm in the history of Thailand.

The system that would become Tropical Storm Harriet formed off the western coast of the Philippines on the morning on the afternoon of October 19. The system proceeded northwest, then darted southwest off the coast, crossing through the South China Sea. The storm spent several days through the open ocean, unable to strengthen into a tropical depression. On October 23, the storm turned northward towards South Vietnam, but soon returned westward, slowly strengthening as it crossed the South China Sea.[1] On the afternoon of October 25, the system finally strengthened into a tropical storm, receiving the name of Harriet. Winds peaked at 60 mph (95 km/h) for Harriet,[2] which soon made landfall in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in Thailand on October 25. After crossing the country, Harriet weakened into a low on October 26 in the open waters of the Indian Ocean.[1] The system continued westward, then curved to the northeast. It attained peak 1 minute winds of 120 km/h (75 mph) on October 30 while approaching the northeastern Bay of Bengal. Soon after, the cyclone made landfall near Chittagong, East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) before dissipating over Burma (present-day Myanmar) on October 31.[3][4]

Harriet caused extensive damage in the area of Laem Talumphuk in Pak Phanang District of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, where it wiped out entire villages. Initial reports noted at least 769 fatalities, with 142 missing as of November 4, and over 252 severe injuries. Damage at the time was estimated to be over $34.5 million (1962 USD) to government buildings, agriculture, homes and fishing fleets.[5][6] The disaster left 16,170 people homeless and destroyed 22,296 buildings across the province.[7] Final figures by the Thai Meteorological Department record 935 deaths, making it the deadliest tropical cyclone in the country's history.[8]

Accompanying winds churned up high waves and gusts in the Gulf of Thailand as tropical storm Pabuk made landfall in the Pak Phanang district of Nakhon Si Thammarat province, where trees crashed down on houses to cause widespread damage.

Disaster mitigation officials said the person killed was among the crew of a fishing boat that capsized in strong winds near the coast of nearby Pattani province. Another of the crew was missing, but four others were safe.

During the past few days, 6,176 people have been evacuated to shelters from Nakhon Si Thammarat as well as the provinces of Pattani, Songkhla and Yala, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has said.

The Nakhon Si Thammarat airport said it had closed, and the Surat Thani airport will also close from Friday afternoon to Saturday, canceling flights by Nok Airlines, Lion Air and Thai Smile, a subsidiary of national carrier Thai Airways.

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Tropical Storm Pabuk has formed within a mass of thunderstorms that have already brought torrential rain to southern Vietnam. As a cyclone, it presents a current danger to shipping but its real threat is that of an out-of-season cyclone, heading for southern Thailand and southern Myanmar.

Cyclone is the family name and represents all tropical revolving storms which start as a depression, strengthen to storm and may develop into a typhoon. The classification is determined by the strength of wind blowing around the centre of the cyclone.

Thai Meteorological Department records list Tropical Storm Harriet as the most deadly cyclone to hit Thailand. It killed 935 people in October 1962. The only typhoon ever known to have hit Thailand was Gay which, in November 1989, also made landfall in the south and took the lives of 602 people.

In those 68 recorded years, there have been no tropical cyclones at all in January, February or March in Thailand or the Gulf of Thailand. Even in December, this would be a rarity: this is holiday season throughout Thailand for foreigners and locals alike.

The damage potential of tropical cyclones is four-fold: wind, rain, waves and surge. Battering waves and storm surge are almost always the most damaging, In the case of Pabuk, gales and torrential rain are likely to be a nuisance but damage will probably be minor. The beaches and coastal properties are at risk from the waves, currently 4 metres in height around the cyclone, and maybe from any storm surge.

The southern shoreline of Thailand, with unlimited fetch to the east into the South China Sea, can see wave heights of 6-11m, as were generated by Typhoon Gay in 1989. Storm surges along the steep southern shoreline of Thailand, are usually small. The islands are more susceptible and Koh Samui is likely to see widespread flooding.

Thailand resumed flights Saturday to its southern provinces, as the first tropical storm in 30 years slowed and headed into the Andaman Sea, leaving behind a trail of homes damaged by fallen trees or blown-off roofs, and disrupted power networks.

Before tropical storm Pabuk hit land in Nakhon Si Thammarat on Friday, arriving from the Gulf of Thailand, airports had shut in the province and nearby Surat Thani and the holiday island of Koh Samui, with all flights canceled.

But on Saturday, the storm lost speed and was downgraded to a depression as it moved off land, weather officials said, although they maintained warnings of torrential rain and possible flash floods in nine provinces.

Bangkok Airways, which has a monopoly at the Koh Samui airport, resumed normal operations early Saturday and added extra flights to assist stranded passengers. The airports at Nakhon Si Thammarat and Surat Thani will resume operations at noon.

That was good fortune for the tourism industry, whose safety problems were highlighted last July when 47 Chinese tourists drowned after their boat sank in rough seas near the popular resort of Phuket.

The Thai Meteorological Department said the storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph at late afternoon, down from 47 mph when it hit land shortly after noon. The department said this was the first tropical storm to make landfall in Thailand in January since accurate records began in 1951.

It continued to warn of strong winds and waves 10 to 16 feet high in the Gulf of Thailand and 6 to 10 feet in the Andaman Sea. It advised all ships to stay ashore through Saturday and warned of possible storm surges on the Gulf coast.

Evacuation efforts were especially intense in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, about 480 miles south of Bangkok, where authorities sent trucks through flooded streets with downed power lines, urging people in danger zones to leave.

A resident wades through floodwaters, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Ubon Ratchathani province, northeastern Thailand. Heavy rains and strong winds from tropical storm Noru swept across parts of northeastern Thailand on Thursday morning, knocking down trees and triggering flash floods in several areas. (AP Photo/Nava Sangthong)

Thai resident wade through floodwaters, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, in Ubon Ratchathani province, northeastern Thailand. Heavy rains and strong winds from tropical storm Noru swept across parts of northeastern Thailand on Thursday morning, knocking down trees and triggering flash floods in several areas. (AP Photo/Nava Sangthong)

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