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Published on October 18, 2007

 

Suparerk Tansriratana-wong, director-general of the Meteorological Department, said yesterday he expects winter to be cooler than last year, particularly from December to January, when the mercury was likely to dip to 16 degrees Celsius.

Just how cold it gets depends on how deep and how long the high-pressure systems from China cover Thailand, he said.

Winter had already come to many part of the country, he said, adding that the average temperature this year would be 1-2 degrees lower than usual, and cold snaps would last longer - at least one week.

Anon Sanitwong na Ayut-thaya, director of the Southeast Asia START Regional Centre at Chulalongkorn University, also warned that temperatures would drop below what was seen many years ago after winter sets in next month.

"This is because the strongest La Nina index in 30 years will cause lower temper?atures and a longer winter," he said.

"This is a good opportunity for business to publicise the country's tourism in winter, especially in the North and Northeast," he said.

However, the government also had to be ready to assist those who lack enough clothing, he added.

The Nation