Weather: Cold snap good for tourism

The Northern Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office has set up a centre to help cold snap-affected residents in Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun and Mae Hong Son provinces. Residents have been warned to brace for approaching cold weather throughout the north, a warning that is likely to boost tourism to the region as central plain residents literally chill out during their annual year-end holidays. The cool season should kick-in by mid-November and last two months. Lampang office director, Prajon Pratsakul, said the office has opened a special operations centre to brace for cold weather, which will affect residents particularly those living in remote and mountainous areas. The centre covers Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun and Mae Hong Son. “A high pressure ridge from China is forecast to cover upper Thailand. Rain will cover the region in the beginning and then high pressure will bring cooler temperatures.” Meanwhile, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department issued a warning for people in lower regions of the South to prepare for widespread rain with heavy downpours in some areas until this weekend. Flash floods and mud slides could occur in 12 provinces – Chumporn, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Patthalung, Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun. There will also be strong wind-generated high waves in the lower regions of the Gulf of Thailand. All ships should proceed with caution and small boats should remain close to shore, warned the department general director, Chatchai Promlert. Monsoon winds are causing problems for tourists who want to swim at Hua Hin beach. They need to think twice as the entire 10-km stretch of sand is littered with garbage blown ashore by seasonal monsoon winds. Garbage is discharged from rivers elsewhere on the Gulf . Most of the waste comprises of plastic bags and water bottles. It occurs every year between October and the beginning of November, when monsoon winds blow southwest from Chonburi toward Prachuap Khiri Khan on the opposite side of the Gulf of Thailand. It sweeps a huge amount of waste from Chonburi, Bangkok, Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram to the province’s shoreline. “This phenomenon usually lasts about one or two weeks and is well known among local people,” a local official said. More than 100 municipal officials were busy clearing up the trash along the shoreline, especially at a spot beside the Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin, where many people like to go swimming. “Tourists should be aware that the seawater quality is very poor during this period and they may encounter waste that is a health risk.”