Tens of thousands of people in Southern Thailand are affected by severe flooding after several days of heavy rain, which has submerged roads and railways, forced schools to close, and left residents trapped in their homes.
According to Thai PBS, Narathiwat province (near the Malaysia border) is the most severely affected, with many districts submerged for days. Heavy rain and strong winds have also caused at least 7 ships to sink in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea since December 22.
According to the State Railway of Thailand, track subsidence has caused trains heading south to Malaysia to temporarily stop 100 kilometers from the border in Yala province, adjacent to Narathiwat. Authorities have also warned residents in various areas to be prepared for evacuation if flooding worsens, as reported by Al-Jazeera.
Flooding in Muang District, Yala Province – Thailand on December 25. (Photo: THE BANGKOK POST)
In neighboring Malaysia, flash floods in the northern region have forced approximately 25,000 people to evacuate their homes in the states of Kelantan and Terengganu. The Golok River has reached record high levels, leaving entire communities in the border region with Thailand stranded. With no signs of heavy rain subsiding, concerns are rising that the devastating floods of 2014 may be repeated.
According to government data, as of midnight on December 25, the Golok River’s water level had risen to 11.04 meters, surpassing the 10.84 meters recorded during the 2014 floods, which displaced over 300,000 people nationwide.
The South China Morning Post quoted Shazlinda Hanif, a meteorologist at the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET), stating that “severe and dangerous warnings” remain in effect across Kelantan and Terengganu as of December 26. Images of residents trapped in their homes while rescue boats struggle against the swift floodwaters have been widely shared on social media.
Meanwhile, ski resorts in Europe are facing difficulties due to decreasing snowfall this winter, with continuous rain and hail. This situation is expected to worsen as a study warns that if global temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels, 53% of the 28 ski resorts in Europe will face snow shortages, threatening this $30 billion industry.
In contrast, China is experiencing a record cold snap and freezing temperatures as the year comes to a close. However, the country is expected to face more heatwaves and increasing extreme weather in 2024 due to the influence of El Niño.
Chief expert at the National Climate Center of China, Zhu Bing, told CCTV that next year China could be even hotter, despite having recently been enveloped in record heat in Beijing and record temperatures of 52 degrees Celsius in a northwestern town last summer.
