No flash flood warning for Phuket – yet

PHUKET: Despite heavy rains throughout Phuket today, the local office of the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has confirmed that no warning has been issued for flash floods or landslides on the island.

“We haven’t been told to issue local warnings,” Santhad Panbanpeaw, director of the Phuket TMD office, told the Phuket Gazette.

“The current wet weather is the same as last week, and I see no reason to make people worry about unlikely disasters.”

San Jantharawong, Chief of the Phuket provincial branch of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), concurred.

“I have not received any warnings about floods or landslides,” he said.

However, the most recent warning issued by TMD Acting Director-General Songkran Agsorn, posted on Saturday (click here), urged all small boats to beware of large waves in the upper Andaman Sea.

Waves are expected to reach heights of up two meters in coastal areas, but further offshore may reach up to five meters, the TMD warned (click here).

“The southwestern monsoon covering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand coupled with a low pressure cell covering the northern region of Vietnam are set to cause heavy rains across the country,” the warning read.

“All ships should proceed with caution, and small boats in the upper Andaman Sea should stay ashore.”

— Woranut Pechdee