Cooler weather a few more days away

The cool season is forecast to start in much of the country after Nov 9, when the mercury is expected to drop by 1–2 degrees Celsius in Bangkok, according to the Thai Meteorological Department.
Nov 1–9 marks a transition to the cool season, when rainfall and thunderstorms are in the forecast, although they will taper off, giving away to cooler weather in most parts of the country, with temperatures on mountain peaks plummeting to single digits, the department said on Thursday.
The Lower Central Plains and the Eastern region, as well as Bangkok and adjacent provinces, have been experiencing the last storms of the rainy season, it said.
The weather would have been cooler by this time of year had it not been for lingering low pressure over the South China Sea and the influence of Typhoon Kong-rey, which is barrelling through Taiwan and is impacting the weather pattern in the region, it said.
From Nov 1-9, a relatively strong cold air mass is expected to move over upper Thailand, bringing strong winds, rain and thunderstorms in the Northeast, East and the Central Plains region, including Bangkok.
Farmers are advised to prepare for the impact of unstable weather on their crops.
During the period, temperatures will start to drop, first in the Northeast (by 2-4C on Saturday morning, then in the North (by 2-4C), and the Central Plains region (by 1-3C).
In Bangkok and adjacent provinces, temperatures are expected to drop by 1-2C.
Meanwhile, residents along the Gulf of Thailand are bracing for heavy rain, strong waves, flash floods and runoff. They are asked to monitor weather updates for alerts.
In Chiang Mai, meanwhile, the lowest temperature on Doi Inthanon, the country’s highest summit, was 9C on Thursday, said Kriangkrai Chaipiset, head of Doi Inthanon National Park.
At the popular Kew Mae Pan nature trail near the summit, it was 10C while the park headquarters saw the mercury drop to 14C, he said.
No fine dust pollution was reported in the park, he added.
On Wednesday, the park received 1,822 visitors, 1,135 of whom were foreign nationals.