Yinxing could trigger flash floods in south: TMD

Heavy downpours will take place in the south on Monday and Tuesday with a chance of flash floods especially on hillsides and in low-lying areas due to the impact of a tropical storm in the region, the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) warns.
The TMD recently provided an update on the status of the three tropical storms that are forming in the region — Typhoon Yinxing in the upper South China Sea, and Tropical Storm Toraji and Tropical Storm Man-Yi in the Pacific Ocean.
It says that Typhoon Yinxing is about 130 kilometres east of China’s Hainan Island and has maximum wind speeds near its centre of about 167km/h.
The typhoon is moving westward at about 15km/h and is expected to approach southern Hainan and the central coast of Vietnam between Monday and Tuesday, the TMD says.
Yinxing will gradually weaken into a tropical storm, then a tropical depression and eventually a strong low-pressure area, it says. The typhoon will not reach Thailand, but travellers are advised to be vigilant, it says.
The TMD said the month of November typically sees few storms, but this year’s unusual La Niña conditions may be strengthening the trade winds.
While the three storms are not expected to affect Thailand, people living in the south may experience an impact from a monsoon trough and a moderate northeast monsoon in the Gulf of Thailand.
Jirayu Houngsub, spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office and disaster operation centre, said people in Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani must stay alert.
The Office of the National Water Resources said there are seven reservoirs in the south already at high capacity, with six medium-sized reservoirs at 80–100% capacity, including Bang Gam Prad, Bang Wad, Bang Niew Dam and Khlong Kata reservoirs.