Get Set for a Heatwave

[Mekong]

Get ready for a super-hot April. That's the warning from weather bureau, which says temperatures will hit 43-44 degrees Celsius in the North and Northeast this month.

 

Dr Somchai Baimuang, deputy director-general of the Meteorological Department, said last week that summer storms, with winds over 100kmh, would also be more frequent.

 

But the overall amount of rain would be about 10 per cent less than last year.

 

Temperatures were likely to peak at 43-44C during the third week of April - especially in the Central, Northeast (Isaan) and the North, Somchai said.

 

Mae Hong Son, Uthai Thani and Sa Kaew were most likely to face the highest temperatures and summer storms, he added.

 

The northern provinces of Lampang, Mae Hong Son, Lamphun, and Uttaradit, and northeastern provinces of Maha Sarakham, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, and Chaiyaphum, were tipped to face highs of 42-43C.

 

Lop Buri, Suphan Buri, Prachin Buri, Ratchaburi, and Sa Kaew could experience 42C, while Bangkok was tipped to see a peak of 39C.

 

The department said that Uttaradit was reported as having the highest temperature in the years from 1951 and 2009: with 44.5C recorded on April 27, 1960.

 

Somchai warned of coming forest fires, smog, heavy rain and hail, and predicted that at the end of April a tropical cyclone would hit the west coast of southern Thailand, causing flash floods in low-lying areas.

 

Drought was also expected to be severe, so Somchai suggested people store rainwater, refrain from growing off-season rice and opt for annual crops such as beans.

 

Asked if the hot weather resulted from the El Nino phenomenon, he said that was a secondary factor. The main causes of hot weather were air mass, air pressure and storms. He said human activities that caused emissions of greenhouse gases also contributed to the problem.

 

Source

[Guest lazyphil]

remember michael fishes 1987 cockup with the huge storm?......

[Flashermac]

<< The department said that Uttaradit was reported as having the highest temperature in the years from 1951 and 2009: with 44.5C recorded on April 27, 1960. >>

 

 

That's a surprise. I'd always thought it was Phitsanulok, the province just south of Uttaradit and where I used to live and swelter in the days before a/c homes and classrooms.

 

 

 

[Mekong]

Peak electricity usage was yesterday

 

Phibul Buacham, assistant governor of Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) revealed that yesterday (April 5) at 14.30 was the time that electricity usage peaked this year at 23,529 megawatts, a 6.74% increase from the previous peak this year.

 

Egat predicted that this year's highest peak would be about 23,600 megawatts.

 

Yesterday, Bangkok's weather was at 37.2 degree celcius, still below the peak predicted by the Meterological Department at 41-42 celcius for this year.

 

Since the rise in power consumption, Egat's electricity reserve dropped to 20%, which was be enough not to cause the black-out or brown-out. The rise in electricity usage is due to the hot weather and the rising exports. About half of electricity usage is in industrial sector while households account for 23%, the remaining are commercial buildings and shopping centres.

 

Link

 

 

[Flashermac]

That's because the Thai Rouge bungholes shut down the malls and everyone had to stay home!

 

 

[Faustian]

It sure is hot, where's the bleedin rain?

[Bangkoktraveler]

44 is hot!

[Mekong]

I have just taken a 3PM Spot reading to see how hot it is using Heat Index calculation whereby RH becomes a factor ... akin to wind chill at the other end of the scale

 

Temperature 39 C / 101 F

Humidity 46%,

HI Equivalent 49 C / 120 F

 

No wonder I needed a Shower when I got back from a stroll to Lotus Express 250 Meters away.

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

And apparently it is still getting worse. Check out the graph at the bottom of the page:

 

15 day forecast

 

Sanuk!

 

[Mekong]

Rather a conservative graph IMHO the "Real Feel" bears no resemblance to the actual Heat Index calculation.

 

Real Feel will be a lot hotter.