Since 21 July, heavy rains have inundated 12 provinces, mostly in the northern and central regions, according to Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
"We are closely monitoring the impact of rainstorm Wipha and coordinating with affected provinces to assist those in need," the agency said in a statement on its official Facebook page.
Images on social media showed murky floodwaters, sandbags stacked outside homes, and residents using plastic boats to navigate submerged streets.
However the kingdom's meteorological department predicts rainfall will ease in the coming days.
While Thailand experiences annual monsoon rains between May and October, scientists say man-made climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely.
Widespread flooding across Thailand in 2011 killed more than 500 people and damaged millions of homes around the country.
Sand and dust storm sweeps across southern Peru
Lima (AFP) Aug 1, 2025 -
Strong winds from a South Pacific anticyclone triggered a massive sand and dust storm in southern Peru on Thursday, catching residents in coastal regions by surprise, authorities said.
Peru's national weather service said wind gusts reached up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) per hour in the Ica region, about 400 kilometers south of Lima.
The storm in Ica forced traffic to a halt on highways and disrupted tourism activities for three hours.
The effects of the unusual weather event were also felt in the regions of Arequipa, Moquegua, and Tacna -- which borders Chile -- where winds reached up to 32 kilometers an hour.
Similarly strong winds were also recorded in the capital Lima, causing some trees to fall.
"This event was caused by the South Pacific anticyclone, which has intensified and is currently very close to the continent, generating high-speed downdrafts at the surface," Rosario Julca of the national weather service told Canal N television.
"An anticyclone is a clockwise circulation in the Pacific Ocean that, when it nears the continent, increases wind speeds," she added.
According to Julca, the presence of such "downdrafts, combined with the desert terrain, has generated a sudden and massive dust uprising."
The weather agency said the "increase in wind speed, ranging from moderate to strong intensity," is expected to continue along the Peruvian coast through Sunday.
The National Emergency Operations Center said that local authorities are assessing the damage.
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