Weather department warn about wet weekend
Northern and Western regions of the Kingdom were on high alert on Friday as tropical cyclone Mala gathered strength in the Bay of Bengal and headed for the Burmese coast.
At 4pm the cyclone, with maximum wind speeds of 120kph, was 500km from Rangoon and travelling north at 15kph. It was expected to strike land some time on Saturday night.The Meteorological Department said the cyclone could dump heavy rain on Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Tak, Uthai Thani and Kanchanaburi provinces. Seas of up to two metres were forecast for the Andaman Sea, and sailors were warned to exercise caution. The North can expect widespread thundershowers, downpours and associated flash floods in some areas for the next four days. Chiang Mai Disaster Prevention and Mitigation official Prachon Pratchasakul said he had officials watching weather conditions around the clock, particularly in the landslideprone areas of Mae Chaem, Omkoi and Hot. Residents may need to be evacuated if severe rain persists, he said. He said news of the cyclone had been taken particularly seriously in Ban Yang Luang, in Mae Chaem's tambon Tha Pha, an area still haunted by recent memories of flash floods and landslides. Some people from the area made for high ground Friday afternoon, he said. The Nation
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