Summer heat in retreat

"We may have already seen this year's hottest day," Weather Forecast Bureau director Somchai Baimuang said yesterday.

In late March, average temperatures reached as high as 40.2 degrees Celsius in some areas of the country.

But forecasters predicted April 27 - when the sun's arc is at its highest - would be the year's hottest day.

"We have now found that a highpressure ridge will likely hover over the country between April 24 and 26, dousing many areas with rain and preventing a spike in temperatures." 

Prepare for rain

"The rainy season is expected to start around May 15," Somchai added.

He said that the transition from summer to the rainy season could mean gales and hailstorms for the upper regions of the country and even as far south as Bangkok.

"Homeowners should secure roofs against storm damage," he advised.

Water Resources Department deputy director general Surapol Pattani expects the coming rains will provide relief from the droughts in some areas.