Hot, damn hot! Even hotter than the hot season last year.
The Thai Meteorological Department says many parts of the kingdom will see higher temperatures for the annual hot season. In the northern provinces of Mae Hong Son, Uttaradit, Sukhothai, Tak and Udon Thani the mercury is expected to rise to over 44 degrees Celsius on some days.
According to a Nation Thailand report, the department issued its prediction today, saying the ‘summer’ season officially starts in the last week of this month and finishes at the end of May (although officially the end of winter and into Spring for most of the northern hemisphere).
Overall temperatures in the country are expected to be up to 2 degrees higher than last year, according to the department, while there will also be less rainfall than normal. Last year, certainly in Phuket, we had some of the hottest days on record for the region.
Upper Thailand can expect temperatures of between 42 and 44.5 Celsius, while the north and northeast of the country will still enjoy cooler mornings and evenings for the rest of February and early March.
There are forecasts for summer storms across several parts of upper Thailand between mid-March and early May, as well as thundershowers in several areas in late May. Usually a wet season would start around Songkran, the second week of April, certainly during the month after.
Meanwhile, residents in upper Thailand are being warned to stay indoors and stay away from large trees and unsecured hoardings or billboards during the summer period, due to a risk of gusty winds. Hail is also being forecast.
In Bangkok, temperatures are expected to be between 40 and 41 degrees, with isolated summer thundershowers.
In the south of the country, the average summer temperature will be around 40 – 41 Celsius, with more rainfall and isolated heavy rain at times. In both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, waves are expected to be between 1 and 2 metres in height on some days, principally from the east and north east.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
