Cold weather in Thailand will last until mid-February as a result of the La Nina phenomenon, and this summer will not be as hot as previous years, experts say.
Thailand entered the La Nina phase last month, as confirmed by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for areas in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific Ocean, said Jessada Denduangboripant, an environmental expert at Chulalongkorn University.
Writing on Facebook, he also cited a recent statement by the Thai Meteorological Department that cool temperatures were expected to continue until mid-February before summer begins to approach.
As an effect of the La Nina phenomenon, southern and southeastern wind gusts are expected to cover the country with high humidity and increased chances of thunderstorms from February to May.
The highest temperatures in March and April will not be as high as in previous years, thanks to the high humidity and rain.
Mr Jessada said that rain volume in April and May will be higher than in previous years. Intermittent rain can be expected in June, he added.
Sonthi Kotchawat, a Thai Environmental Scholars Club health and environment expert, said the current low temperatures, which have dropped to single digits in some provinces, were attributed to the polar vortex phenomenon in China.
A polar vortex is a large region of cold, rotating air encircling both Earth’s polar regions, causing a polar jet stream from west to east.
China has experienced its coldest weather in 30 years since last month, with temperatures in Mohe City of Daxing’anling prefecture the lowest at -53 degrees Celsius.
The cold mass from China has also contributed to higher air pollution in Thailand, said Mr Sonthi.