Thai PBS World Daily is here to provide you with a daily news roundup of the top stories in Thailand. Here’s what you need to know for today.

Tropical storm Noru to hit Thailand’s north-eastern region at 10pm Wednesday

Tropical storm Noru is expected to arrive over north-eastern Thailand at about 10pm tonight, bringing heavy rain to 14 provinces, including Ubon Ratchathani and Amnat Charoen. The storm is expected to begin weakening to a tropical depression as it passes through both provinces. Several north-eastern provinces had, however, already been impacted by the storm last night, with continuous heavy rain being reported there.

People living along Mun River in Ubon Ratchathani advised to prepare for evacuation

Provincial officials in Ubon Ratchathani have advised people to prepare for evacuation, in anticipation of more heavy rain when Tropical Storm Noru hits the province tonight. The water level in the Mun river has increased by about 13cm since yesterday. Officials have expressed concern that the sandbag flood wall may not be able to hold back the swollen river, with more heavy rain expected.

Bank of Thailand increases key interest rate to 1 percent

The Bank of Thailand has announced a hike in interest rates, from 0.75 percent to 1 percent, effective today. The central bank also predicted that Thailand’s economy will expand by 3.3 percent this year and 3.8 percent next. The bank, however, also expects inflation this year to remain at 6.3 percent.

Thai baht drops to 38 baht per US dollar

Thai baht has continued to weaken against the US dollar, falling to 38 baht per one US dollar, mainly due to the strengthening of the greenback as a result of a recent increase in the US Federal Reserve’s base rate, which has forced other currencies, including Thai baht, to weaken accordingly. Analysts say that the weakening of the Thai baht is not unexpected.