Weather and downpours continue to spoil vacations for tourists in Thailand – the country has again issued a warning about the danger. At the same time, chaos has already begun in the popular resort of Pattaya – the rains are literally “washing away” the beach strip and attempts to improve it.
According to Thaiger, the torrential rain in Chonburi province, where Pattaya is located, caused extensive flooding on roads and also caused “significant beach erosion in Pattaya”.
The downpour, which lasted for at least an hour, caused floodwaters to reach a depth of 50 to 80 centimeters in some areas, making the road along the railway from Soi Khao Talo to Soi Wat Tam and part of Sukhumvit Road inaccessible to small vehicles and motorcycles
The downpour also washed away sand on beaches from Pattaya Nua to Pattaya Klang – as the media wrote, huge water flows washed away sand “which the Marine Department had previously transported to widen Pattaya’s coastline in an attempt to increase its appeal to visitors”. The currents washed out channels about one meter deep and four meters wide in several places along the beach and also brought a lot of debris to the beach.
At the same time, the Thailand Meteorological Department (TMD) issued an urgent warning of continuous heavy rain in 44 provinces, including Bangkok, Chonburi, where Pattaya is located, as well as Phuket and Krabi. Rainfall is expected to affect 80% of these areas, accompanied by strong winds and sudden downpours.
At sea, the height of the waves is about 1 meter, and during a thunderstorm, it can reach more than 2 meters, pleasure boats, as usual, are advised not to go into the sea, and tourists – not to try to swim. Showers by the end of the day are promised with an 80% probability in Pattaya, and with 60% – in Phuket and Krabi.