Most parts of Thailand, but particularly the north-eastern region, will experience unusually cool weather from Sunday to Thursday next week, due to a combination of a polar vortex and a strong cold system from China, according to the Meteorological Department.
Temperatures in the northeast are forecast to drop by 3-7oC, to 30-31oC. In other parts of the country, the temperatures may drop by 2-4oC during the five-day period.
Natthawut Daendee, deputy director-general of the Meteorological Department, said that the major factor contributing to the cool weather in the middle of the dry season is the polar vortex, which is blocked by the Himalayas.
He also said that this will not be the first time that Thai people will be able to enjoy a brief period of cooler weather in the summer time, citing similar phenomena in 2011, 2016 and 2022.
On March 17 and 18, 2011, the lowest temperature in Thung Chang district was measured at 12oC. In Bangkok, it was 18oC.
On March 25, 2016, the low in Nakhon Phanom was measured at 10.2oC and the low temperatures persisted into April.
