Bangkok was declared a disaster zone by city officials toward the end of last week after streets were submerged up to waist‑high flood water. The flooding was caused by an active low‑pressure cell that brought continuous heavy rainfall and thunderstorms to the capital and surrounding regions.
The heavy rain began early Thursday when the weak low‑pressure area moved northwest along the Gulf of Thailand before settling over central Thailand by Friday morning. For the next two days the cell remained roughly stationary, producing unrelenting downpours. A weather station near Prachin Buri, just northeast of the capital, recorded 213.5 mm in a 24‑hour period between Friday and Saturday evening, a figure that dwarfs London’s annual average of 585 mm. The centre of the low‑pressure cell shifted northwest on Sunday, ending the torrential rainfall.
In the central Pacific, Hawaii’s Big Island faced threats from Hurricane Nolo over the weekend. The system first approached the archipelago early last week, bringing heavy rainfall from around Tuesday evening. By early Saturday Nolo had intensified to a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 85‑90 knots (98‑104 mph) and was located about 145 miles (233 km) south of the island. Heavy rainfall, exceeding 530 mm in the island’s northeast, raised concerns over flooding and mudslides. Nolo has since moved westward away from Hawaii and is forecast to peak in intensity on Monday 28 September, potentially reaching Category 4.
Further east, Hurricane Polo is expected to make landfall on the Baja California peninsula late on Monday 28 September. The once‑Category 5 storm will downgrade to Category 2 at landfall, with sustained winds of 96‑110 mph. A hurricane warning has been issued for coastal areas because of the risk of onshore wind‑driven storm surge. Polo will also deliver intense rainfall across the peninsula, with 100‑200 mm expected within 12 hours and potentially up to 250 mm locally, creating a risk of severe flooding and mudslides. The storm will continue to weaken as it moves northeast across the Sonora region of Mexico.
