New depression affects Thailand

BANGKOK, November 14 (TNA) - The Meteorological Department has warned that a new depression will start affecting several areas in Thailand as of November 15, especially in Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces in the Upper Thai South. Prawit Jampanya, director of the department’s Weather Forecast Bureau, told journalists on Thursday that the approaching depression was located in the South China Sea, about 900 kilometers east of Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, earlier in the day. Prawit said the new depression is expected to pass through southern Vietnam and hit Thailand's lower northeastern, eastern and upper southern regions from November 15-17, 2013. Prawit cautioned that the approaching depression is likely to first affect the Lower Thai Northeast on November 15, while on November 16-17, it should blanket the Thai East, the Lower Central Plain and the Upper Thai South, with downpours or heavy downpours predicted in the affected areas, especially in Phetchaburi and Pracuap Khiri Khan. Besides, the senior meteorologist noted, winds and waves, as high as 2-3 meters, should be stronger in the upper part of the Gulf of Thailand in the coming days. Prachuap Khiri Khan Governor Veera Sriwatanatrakul has, meanwhile, ordered relevant provincial agencies to prepare for coping with impacts from the new depression, namely checking water levels and conditions of all local dams, reservoirs and embankments, while advising people living on hillsides and near waterways to move their belongings to safe places as a precaution. (TNA)