Forget snow in Thailand – but you might need to worry about a tsunami, expert

A Thai disaster expert has scoffed at suggestions that Thailand is about to experience snow but has warned about the possibility of a massive ocean tsunami.

Dr Samith Thammasarot of the Disaster Mitigation department was asked to comment by Daily News after ice appeared on the top of Thai mountains and there were social media reports of snow in Burma.

Netizens conjectured that it was only a matter of time before Thailand was snowed under.

Samith explained about the atmospheric and temperature conditions required for snow. Though it would be cool enough on mountains there was insufficient water in the atmosphere. Snow was thus very unlikely.

Thais would just have to make do with the prospect of selfies with mountain ice.

A much greater worry, said the expert were volcanic eruptions and shifts in the tectonic plates in countries in the region.

He said that the volcano in Bali threatening to blow its lid could have an impact on Thailand but the biggest threat was an earthquake in India’s Nicobar Islands.

This could produce a massive Indian ocean tsunami that would swamp Thailand within an hour, he said.

He urged people to keep abreast of news reports of an earthquake in the Nicobar Islands, and to immediately seek high ground if there was one.

The Boxing Day Asian tsunami of 2004 killed around a quarter of a million people including many thousands in the south of Thailand.

Thai Visa / Daily News

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