Watch: Thailand gets its first tropical storm in 30 years in the form of Pabuk, Odisha on alert
The storm will move eastwards, hitting both the Andaman Islands and parts of India’s coastal areas.
Thailand’s first tropical storm in three decades, Pabuk, made landfall on the country’s southern coast on Friday afternoon. Heavy rains and winds with speeds of 42 miles per hour lashed the Nakhon Si Thammarat province before heading westwards. One person was killed in the storm, news reports quoted disaster mitigation officials as saying.
This is the first tropical storm to hit Thailand in 30 years. Multiple tourists and local residents have been moved away from coastal areas to safer locations. Tourist islands Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan are expected to be hit during the storm.
Pabuk is expected to cross the Andaman Sea on January 6, leading to prediction of heavy rains in the Andaman Islands. The Guardian reported that waves as high as 2-3 metre are possible in the Andaman Sea, west of Thailand. Seven districts of Odisha – Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Puri, Ganjam and Khurda – have been put on alert, reported NDTV.