Climate chaos intensifies: Thailand swelters in rainy season
Global climate turmoil escalates in 2025, with extreme weather worldwide. Thailand swelters at 37°C in the rainy season, as heavy rains loom from mid-August to September.
Environmental and health specialist Sonthi Kotchawat has issued an update on the escalating global climate crisis, warning of increasingly extreme and erratic weather patterns in 2025. Writing on his personal Facebook page, he described “climate chaos” both in Thailand and abroad, with temperatures and rainfall hitting unprecedented levels.
Thailand’s unusual rainy season heat
Although Thailand is currently in the rainy season, temperatures in several areas have soared to an abnormal 37°C. Sonthi said rainfall is expected to intensify in mid-August through September, with heavier-than-usual downpours anticipated.
Unprecedented global temperature spikes
1. Around the world, nations are facing record-breaking heat. The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has reported that July 2025 was the third-hottest July ever recorded globally, following July 2023 and July 2024. The agency warns that heatwaves are likely to persist until mid-August across parts of Asia, Europe, the Iberian Peninsula, and northern Mexico.
2. In some regions, maximum daily temperatures are forecast to range from 38°C to 40°C (100.4°F to 104°F), particularly in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and North Africa. Meanwhile, parts of the southwestern United States may exceed 45°C (113°F).
3. In Japan, a new national temperature record of 41.8°C (107.2°F) was set on August 5, surpassing the previous high of 41.2°C recorded just a week earlier.
4. Hong Kong experienced its heaviest rainfall on record for the month of August on the same day, with more than 350 millimetres falling within 24 hours, the highest daily total since records began in 1884. The deluge caused widespread disruption to road traffic and flight operations.
5. Southern Japan was also hit by unprecedented rainfall on Friday (August 8), prompting evacuation orders and landslide warnings. The extreme weather followed a week of intense heat that saw Japan break its national temperature record. In Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, 500mm of rain fell in the 24 hours leading up to 5am, double the area’s average rainfall for the entire month of August.
6. Meanwhile, southwestern Europe is bracing for a heatwave expected to begin this week and intensify next week. Spain and France have issued alerts for temperatures exceeding 40°C (104°F), starting in northern Spain by the end of this week and spreading to southern France next week.
7. Thailand, too, has seen unusually high temperatures for the rainy season, with readings reaching 37°C in some areas. Heavy rainfall is expected to develop in mid-August and continue into September.
