Bangkok Submerged: Capital Declared Disaster Zone Amid Waist-High Floods!

Bangkok, Thailand's bustling capital, has been officially declared a disaster zone by city officials, as vast areas of the city remain submerged under waist-high floodwaters. The declaration came towards the end of last week, following days of relentless downpours that transformed urban landscapes into watery thoroughfares. The widespread inundation was primarily caused by an active cell of low pressure positioned over central Thailand.

This system delivered continuous heavy rainfall and thunderstorms to Bangkok and its surrounding regions. The torrential rains commenced early last Thursday as the low-pressure area tracked north-westwards up the Gulf of Thailand, eventually settling over central Thailand by Friday morning. For nearly two days, this weather system lingered, unleashing unceasing rainfall.

One weather station near Prachin Buri, just north-east of the capital, recorded an astonishing 213.5mm of rain within a 24-hour period between Friday and Saturday evening, a figure that puts London's annual average of 585mm into stark perspective.

Fortunately, the low-pressure cell began to shift north-westwards on Sunday, bringing a much-needed respite from the extreme rainfall to Bangkok.

Meanwhile, across the central Pacific, citizens on Hawaii's Big Island faced a different kind of threat over the past weekend from Hurricane Nolo. The powerful system approached the archipelago early last week, initiating heavy rainfall around Tuesday evening.

By early Saturday, Nolo had intensified to a category 2 hurricane, packing sustained windspeeds of 85-90 knots (98-104 mph) and coming closest to the Big Island at approximately 145 miles (233km) south. Beyond fierce winds, the immense volume of rainfall raised serious concerns about flooding and devastating mudslides. Since Nolo's effects began on September 22nd, weather stations in the island's north-east have recorded over 530mm of rain.

Thankfully, Nolo has since propagated westwards away from Hawaii, though it is forecast to peak in intensity, potentially reaching category 4 status, later this week. Further east in the Pacific, Hurricane Polo is now predicted to make landfall with Mexico's Baja California peninsula late on Monday, September 28th.

The storm, once a formidable category 5, is expected to downgrade to a category 2 by the time it hits land, with sustained winds ranging from 96-110 mph. Coastal regions are under a hurricane warning due to the heightened risk of a storm surge from onshore winds. Polo is also set to bring intense downpours, with 100-200mm expected across the peninsula, and localized areas potentially receiving up to 250mm.

This bulk of rain, falling within a 12-hour window, presents a significant risk of life-threatening flooding and mudslides.

The storm is anticipated to continue weakening as it propagates north-eastwards across Mexico's Sonora region.

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