Tomorrow's weather - hot

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Sad isn't it well winter will come again

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No respite in sight to hot weather

* Published: 28/04/2010 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News

Nakhon Ratchasima: Baby it's hot outside - and next year is going to be worse because of the El Nino phenomenon, disaster warning expert Smith Dharmasaroja predicts.

The director of the National Disaster Warning Council says El Nino, an abnormal warming that occurs on the surface waters of the eastern Pacific, could bring even worse drought and hot weather.

A continual rise in temperatures for three consecutive days would cause a deadly heat wave, affecting mainly children and the elderly, the former Meteorological Department chief said.

Speaking at a seminar on the drought in this northeastern province, Mr Smith said temperatures in the hot season next year would be much higher.

"Thailand has to be prepared for a possible heat wave that will cause deaths," he said.

One sign that had led to the prediction of an abnormal heat wave was the 43C recorded in Lampang this month. This was only marginally short of the country's record high of 43.6C in Mae Hong Son in 1998.

Mr Smith said the unusually hot weather was caused by the greenhouse effect and increasing emission of heat-trapping gases from human activities.