BANGKOK — Make sure you have an umbrella at hand today – rain and thunderstorms are set to cover 40 percent of Bangkok, according to the Meteorological Department’s Thursday forecast.
The forecast predicts that a monsoon will sweep across the country, bringing rain to 60 percent of the Northern and Eastern regions, including provinces such as Chiang Mai, Lampang, Chon Buri, and Rayong.
On the bright side, a climate expert expects the thunderstorms to be scattered and lasting at most a few hours.
“Rains during June and July are not worrisome,” Seree Supratid of Rangsit University’s Climate Change and Disaster Center said over the phone. “Heavy thunderstorms are expected in August and September.”
Seree said residents in the capital should watch out for areas that were flooded last week, which were generally low-lying or in places with inadequate drainage systems.
In other parts of the country, 40 percent of the Isaan and Central regions will be battered with rain.
The south is expected to see the fewest showers, with only 30 percent of the region to be affected. Still, sailors should be watchful as waves will be up to two meters high.