2011 Thai floods
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Thai floods occurred at the end of March 2011, normally the latter part of the dry season
( or ) in tropical Thailand. Heavy rain fell in the southern region
, with over 120 centimetres (47.2 in) of rain falling in certain areas.
. Close to 160000 ha (395,368.3 acre) of land have been submerged. Around 5,000 households have been evacuated, in addition to hundreds of tourists.
Nakhon Si Thammarat Province
has been worst-affected, and a state of emergency
was declared in several provinces.
, and were triggered when a record cold wave
moved south from East Asia
and produced persistent flooding in combination with near-normal sea surface temperature
s, still warm enough to support strong convectional precipitation. However, Thailand's Deputy Chief Negotiator for the UNFCCC stated that the floods were likely caused by climate change
, as over 2200 mm (86.6 in) of rain had fallen in parts of Southern Thailand for the four months leading up to the beginning of April while the year of 2010 saw a total of 270 cm (106.3 in).
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
( or ) in tropical Thailand. Heavy rain fell in the southern region
Southern Thailand
Southern Thailand is a distinct region of Thailand, connected with the Central region by the narrow Kra Isthmus.-Geography:Southern Thailand is located on the Malay Peninsula, with an area around 70,713 km², bounded to the north by Kra Isthmus as the narrowest part of the peninsula. The...
, with over 120 centimetres (47.2 in) of rain falling in certain areas.
Impact
At least 53 people have died and almost nine million people have been affected by the floods after localized heavy rains The flooding has affected 50 of Thailand's 76 provincesProvinces of Thailand
Thailand is divided into 76 provinces , which are geographically grouped into 6 regions. The capital Bangkok is not a province but a special administrative area and is included as the 77th province since it is administered at the same level as the other 76 provinces. The name of the provinces are...
. Close to 160000 ha (395,368.3 acre) of land have been submerged. Around 5,000 households have been evacuated, in addition to hundreds of tourists.
Nakhon Si Thammarat Province
Nakhon Si Thammarat Province
Nakhon Si Thammarat is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, at the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand...
has been worst-affected, and a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
was declared in several provinces.
Causes
The floods hit during a typically dry seasonDry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
, and were triggered when a record cold wave
Cold wave
A cold wave is a weather phenomenon that is distinguished by a cooling of the air. Specifically, as used by the U.S. National Weather Service, a cold wave is a rapid fall in temperature within a 24 hour period requiring substantially increased protection to agriculture, industry, commerce, and...
moved south from East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
and produced persistent flooding in combination with near-normal sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature
Sea surface temperature is the water temperature close to the oceans surface. The exact meaning of surface varies according to the measurement method used, but it is between and below the sea surface. Air masses in the Earth's atmosphere are highly modified by sea surface temperatures within a...
s, still warm enough to support strong convectional precipitation. However, Thailand's Deputy Chief Negotiator for the UNFCCC stated that the floods were likely caused by climate change
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, as over 2200 mm (86.6 in) of rain had fallen in parts of Southern Thailand for the four months leading up to the beginning of April while the year of 2010 saw a total of 270 cm (106.3 in).
See also
- 2010 Thai floods2010 Thai floodsThe 2010 Thai floods were a series of flash floods that hit different areas in Thailand. Separate but related floods began in the Northeast and Central Thailand early October due to abnormally late monsoon moisture over the Bay of Bengal, overflowed the Chao Phraya where the rivers meet, and...
- 2010 north Malaysian floods2010 north Malaysian floodsThe 2010 north Malaysian floods were a series of floods concentrated in the Malaysian states of Kedah and Perlis in November 2010. The floods saw around 50,000 people evacuated and left at least four people dead, while shutting down major transport routes into the states.-Background:The floods were...
- 2010 China floods
- 2011 Thai floods2011 Thai floodsThe 2011 Thai floods occurred at the end of March 2011, normally the latter part of the dry season in tropical Thailand. Heavy rain fell in the southern region, with over of rain falling in certain areas.-Impact:...
- 2011 Southeast Asian floods2011 Southeast Asian floodsThe 2011 monsoon season saw record flooding in Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar and heavy flooding in Vietnam. The Philippines was hit by Typhoon Nesat in September, which was followed shortly after by Typhoon Nalgae. Meanwhile, Laos also sustained flood damage. Unrelated to the northern floods,...