ANALYSIS OF METEOROLOGICAL DATA AND DROUGHT IN THE LOWER NORTHERN PART OF THAILAND

Abstract

The study areas include Phitsanulok, Nakhon Sawan and Khamphang Phet. The meteorological data between 1986 and 2015, was collected from the meteorological rain gauge stations situated in the Lower Northern part of Thailand. This study involves the analysis of the meteorological data and drought trends in the northern region of Thailand from 1986 to 2015. The study used the Meteorological Drought Monitor software (MDM) to analyze the drought trends through the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). From this analysis, we then presented the results through graphs representing the trends in meteorological parameters and drought index.  The results showed that, the annual rainfall measurement of the regions analyzed continues to reduce consistently as the temperature increase. The drought trends in these provinces observed to considerably lean towards dry conditions. Nakhon Sawan, for instance, experienced extreme drought in 1977(SPI =-2.5) and moderate wetness in 2013. Kampheang Phet recorded moderately wet conditions (SPI =1.5) in 2013 and 2014 years, and near normal conditions (SPI = -1.1) in 1996. Lastly, Phitsanulok was majorly comprised of moderately dry and severely dry, especially for 2015(SPI =-22). From the findings, awareness should be created to foster the need for environmental conservation, besides to improve environmental protection and the levels of precipitation.