Prevailing weather conditions in the country meet the criteria for the hot season to start on Feb 22, Sugunyanee Yavinchan, the director-general of the department, said.
The highest temperatures in the upper half of the country were at least 35°C and the prevailing wind directions have changed to southerly and southeasterly, she explained.
Ms Sugunyanee said summer storms as well as hailstorms will be possible in the upper half of Thailand at the beginning of the hot season, from Monday to Wednesday, because cold and hot air masses will collide during the transitional period, reports the Bangkok Post.
She warned that extreme heat could occur from mid-March to April and temperatures might exceed 42°C in the northern provinces of Lampang, Mae Hong Son and Tak, which would be hotter than last year. She expects the hot season to last until mid-May.
The highest official temperature ever recorded in Thailand is 45.4°C, in Mae Sot district of Tak province on April 15, 2023. It surpassed the previous high of 44.6, which was recorded in Mae Hong Son in 2016 and again in Tak in 2023. At such levels, the heat index or “feels like” temperature can be as high as 54°C.
As the La Nina weather phenomenon is fading to a neutral state, rainfall this year will be close to the average but there are some signs of a slight drought in the North, the Central Plains and the East, Ms Sugunyanee said.