Cyclone hits Burma, heavy rain in Thailand

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Cyclone hits Burma, heavy rain in Thailand

Thailand's Meteorological Department warned local residents in eight northern and western provinces to brace for heavy downpours and possible flash floods due to tropical cyclone Mala, as it moves into Thailand from Burma.

The storm made landfall in Burma, then quickly lost intensity, the Burmese meteoroligical department said. There was heavy rain today in Rangoon, where clogged drains failed to cope with the downpour, causing 30cm floods on some downtown streets, residents told Reuters.

Mala's power abated as it crossed the coast of southern Rakhine state near Gwa township, Meteorology and Hydrology Department Director-General Tun Lwin told Reuters.

The Meteorology Department of Thailand said flash floods are forecast in Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai, Tak, Chiang Mai, Lampang, Udon Thani, Kanchanaburi, and Ratchaburi.

Two to three-metre high waves are expected in the Andaman sea and the Gulf of Thailand.

Meteorological Department director general Suparerk Tansriratanawong warned that some districts in Chiang Mai will be hardest hit with heavy rainfall.

However, residents in mountainous areas should be alert to heavy rain and the possibility of flash floods. - (Bangkokpost.com, TNA)