Tropical Storm Gaemi has shifted course further south in its march towards Thailand, flood and water management operations chief Royol Jindon said yesterday.
This means the storm will affect a larger area of Thailand and specifically cause more rain for the upper Southern region – perhaps up to 100 millimeters per hour – he said, according to the Nation.
NASA’s Earth Observatory however reported yesterday that Gaemi did not look overly powerful, saying: “AccuWeather reported that, although Gaemi was not a powerful storm, it held the potential to bring heavy rains and floods to parts of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand in the coming days.”
Thailand’s Meteorological Department has not yet made an announcement on the shift in direction.
The last statement from the department, made at 1am this morning, forecast that the storm would weaken as it passed into Thailand from Vietnam but still cause heavy rain and wind over the Northeast, East, Central, and lower North provinces of Thailand from Oct. 6-8.
The Bangkok flooding situation will be monitored on a day-to-day basis if the volume of rain surpasses 60 millimeters per hour, a senior Bangkok Metropolitan Authority official told the Nation.
The BMA’s medical emergency and relief services are on 24-hour standby.
