Travel by road between Bangkok and Thailand’s southernmost provinces is being hampered by heavy flooding in Chumphon province, where Asian highway 41, the main artery to and from the south, has become impassable to all but large trucks.
Motorists bound for provinces south of Chumphon are being advised to stop at service stations or in rest areas in Mueang district, to wait for floodwaters to recede, or take a detour through Ranong province.
Bangkok-bound motorists from Surat Thani province are being advised to wait at service stations or rest areas in Lang Suan district of Chumphon until the road becomes passable again.
According to the Meteorological Department, about 373mm of rain has fallen on Chumphon in the last couple of days, resulting in widespread flooding. It was still raining at the time of this report.
In neighbouring Surat Thani province, the provincial office for public disaster prevention and mitigation has advised people living in Pak Praek sub-district in Don Sak district, and several sub-districts in Kanchanadit district, to move their valuables to higher ground.
Floods are also reported in several districts of Nakhon Si Thammarat, such as in Phrom Khiri, Nopphitam and Tha Sala districts.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is forecast for 11 southern provinces until Monday, due to an intense north-eastern monsoon trough looming over the Gulf and the south, compounded by a low pressure cell over the Andaman Sea and east Malaysia.
