A morning downpour submerged several areas in Bangkok on Wednesday, triggering traffic chaos and trapping hundreds of office workers on flooded streets during rush hour.
The freak weather is expected to dump more rain on Bangkok and upper Thailand throughout Wednesday, to be followed by a "rapid drop in temperatures" on Thursday. The cold weather will continue until early next week, the Meteorological Department said in an urgent warning on Wednesday.
In Bangkok, torrential rain slowed traffic on Lat Phrao Road. Floodwater near Lat Phrao Soi 112 quickly surged to 20 centimetres deep in spots along a distance of 400 metres, causing a long tailback and restricting cars to a crawl.
Pedestrians also bore the brunt, with footpaths near Tawana Market on Lat Phrao Road completely blanketed by water.
Heavy traffic congestion and frustrated Bangkokians were also seen from Soi Bearing to Soi La Salle on crowded Sukhumvit Road with water levels recorded between 15cm and 20cm.
Showers continued to soak Bangkok streets, pedestrians inching their way carefully through water toward shelters. Some taxi drivers rejected soaked passengers.
Soldiers from many military units were ordered to help police facilitate the traffic.
The heaviest rainfall recorded on Wednesday morning was 125.5 millimetres in Bangkok’s Nong Chok district, according to the City Hall flood prevention centre.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said some of the hardest hit areas were along the Chao Phraya River.
Sukhumvit Road in Bang Na district and some sections on Lat Phrao and Ramkhamhaeng areas were flooded, traffic radio stations reported.
Heavy rain was reported in many parts of Thailand after a high pressure system brought cold weather over the Northeast and expected to reduce temperatures in this region by 6-8°C, the Meteorological Department chief Wanchai Sakudomchai said.
In Kalasin, the temperature had already dropped to 16°C, with villagers lighting bonfires to keep themselves and their animals warm.
Mr Wanchai expected the temperatures in Bangkok and nearby provinces to drop by 4-6°C on Thursday.
The cold spell will continue until Jan 15, he said.
The northeastern monsoon in the South is expected to strengthen, causing widespread rain in the region.
