Strong cold winds destroy festival boat
STRONG wintery gusts toppled and destroyed a Reua Fai or fire boat that was to join the annual Illuminated Boat Procession in Nakhon Phanom province yesterday after the temperature plunged two to three days ago, Thai News Agency said.
Currently the lowest temperature in the province which borders Laos is 18-20 degrees Celsius and it is especially cold on the bank of Mekong River at Nakhon Phanom city.
The destroyed fire boat was to compete in the annual Illuminated Boat Procession and was one of 13 put on show at the end of Buddhist Lent on October 16. Actually this festival usually takes place on this important Buddhist religious day but was canceled to mourn the demise of the late His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and moved to Loy Krathong festival night which this year falls on November 14.
Other districts in this province are protecting themselves and their belongings from these strong wintery gusts as they gear up for the Illuminated Boat Procession. His Majesty the late King and Her Majesty the Queen witnessed the procession on November 12, 1995 and stayed at the provincial governor’s old house
Actually Thailand entered the cold season on October 30 and the cold weather will last longer this year than past several years, Thai PBS said.
Meteorological Department director-general Wanchai Sak-udomchai told Thai PBS on Monday that the cold season arrived sooner this year and is expected to last longer with the temperature starting to drop in November and staying low till next February.
People in the North and the Northeast can now experience the cool weather, but Bangkok and the central region will still have rains although rainfalls will steadily drop and the weather will turn cold in December.
Temperature in Bangkok is forecast to drop to 15-16 degrees Celsius in December whereas in the mountains in the North and the Northeast it will be very cold.
Mr Wanchai added that a cold front from the North Pole is prolonging the cold season this year which will be different from the previous few years when the cold season was short due to the effect of El Nino.
He, however, denied rumors that this year’s cold season would be the coldest in ten years.
CAPTION:
Top: The fire boat which the cold winds destroyed yesterday. Photo: Thai News Agency
Inset: A fire boat in all its glory. Photo: Tourism Authority Of Thailand
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