Floods in southern Thailand after 21 inches of rain in 24 hours

Richard Davies
Floodlist
Mon, 19 Dec 2022 18:28 UTC

Areas of southern Thailand recorded more than 500 mm of rain in 24 hours on 18 December 2022.

Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) flooding in the southern provinces of Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Phatthalung, Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. A total of 49 districts and 51,543 households have been affected.

The hardest hit areas were Narathiwat, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla Provinces.

In Narathiwat, 3 people died after being swept away by flood waters, DDPM said. Almost 30,000 households across 13 districts have been affected by flooding. Affected districts include Sukhirin, Si Sakhon, Rueso, Ra-ngae, Chanae, Mueang Narathiwat, Cho-airong, Su-ngai Padi, Bacho, Waeng, Su-ngai Kolok, Tak Bai and Yi-ngo.

Nakhon Si Thammarat recorded flooding in 6 districts: Pak Phanang, Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat, Sichon, Chaloem Phra Kiat, Chiang Yai and Chulabhorn, with 9,820 households affected.

In Songkhla, flooding struck 8 districts: Mueang Songkhla, Rattaphum, Khuan Niang, Hat Yai, Na Mom, Chana, Bang Klam and Ranot, impacting 11,616 households.

Elsewhere, 455 households were affected in Pattani, 448 households in Trang, and 90 households in Yala.

Thai Meteorological Department reported that in a 24 hours period to 18 December 2022, Narathiwat recorded 545.4 mm of rain, Pattani 310.5 mm and Songkhla 401.5 mm.

National Thai Water reported rivers were overflowing in around 25 locations across the south.

Bouts of heavy rain and flooding occurred in the provinces of Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat during the first 2 weeks of December. Around 15,400 households (77,000 people) were affected. One fatality was reported in Songkhla province.