BANGKOK, Thailand – The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has issued an advisory on Typhoon Ragasa, which on September 22 packed maximum sustained winds of about 205 kilometers per hour as it moved west across northern Luzon in the Philippines. By evening, the storm had entered the South China Sea and continued on its westward track at about 20 kilometers per hour.
Ragasa is forecast to pass near Hong Kong, cross southern China and Hainan Island, and enter the Gulf of Tonkin on September 25. It is expected to weaken into a tropical storm before making landfall in northern Vietnam, then rapidly lose strength under the influence of a cold air mass from China by September 26.
In Thailand, the system will intensify the monsoon trough over the North and Upper Northeast, as well as the southwest monsoon over the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand from September 23 to 26. This will bring widespread rain, with heavy to very heavy downpours in the North, Northeast, Central, and Eastern regions, including Bangkok and surrounding provinces.
Officials warned of flash floods, mountain runoff, and river overflows in foothills, riverbanks, and low-lying urban zones. Residents are advised to remain alert to hazards from accumulated rainfall.
Marine conditions are also expected to worsen, with waves of 2 to 3 meters in the Andaman Sea and upper Gulf of Thailand, rising above 3 meters during thunderstorms. Mariners are urged to take caution, and small boats in the upper Andaman Sea should remain ashore between September 24 and 26. (NNT)
