Southeast Asia Weather & Natural Hazards Today: Friday, October 23, 2026

Oct 23, 2026 · @Paul

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather

Typhoon Champi, known in the Philippines as Rosal, is passing over the Philippine Sea east of Batanes, keeping wind warnings up across far northern Luzon. Smoke haze from fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan is the second major hazard, and Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) forecasts unhealthy air. Floodwater remains across central Thailand and parts of Bangkok, and Indonesia’s weather agency BMKG has issued very-heavy-rain alerts for northern Sumatra.

Champi is not forecast to threaten mainland Southeast Asia or to enter the South China Sea. This report is current to 6 a.m. Bangkok, Hanoi and Jakarta time (UTC+7) and 7 a.m. Manila, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur time (UTC+8) on Friday, October 23, 2026, which is 7 p.m. US Eastern Daylight Time on Thursday, October 22.

Key facts

Tropical cyclones

Champi is the only tropical cyclone near the region and is weakening. No system is active in the South China Sea, the Bay of Bengal or the Andaman Sea. PAGASA and JMA use 10-minute average winds and JTWC 1-minute averages, so their figures differ.

JMA forecasts Champi to turn north toward the East China Sea and become an extratropical low near Japan by October 26. Vietnam’s National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF) said it will not enter the East Sea, as Vietnam calls the South China Sea.

Floods and heavy rain

Thailand

On October 21 the DDPM reported 402,637 households and 1,223,229 people affected in 3,887 villages, The Nation reported. In Bangkok, 168,203 households in Lat Krabang and Nong Chok were affected. The DDPM said water levels were falling in all listed areas and blamed “heavy to very heavy rainfall in several areas, combined with water draining from the North.”

Thai PBS World, citing the DDPM on October 20, put the death toll at 80 since September 16, with 26 in Prachin Buri. The October 21 DDPM figures list deaths by province but give no national total.

On October 22 the Tha Chin River was still above its banks in parts of Suphan Buri and Nakhon Pathom, and Srinagarind Dam was 99% full, the DDPM said. Another period of high tides is expected from October 27 to 31.

TMD warning No. 12, issued at 5 p.m. on October 22, warns of flash floods and rapid run-off in the East and South, caused by a monsoon trough and the southwest monsoon, with waves above 3 metres in the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand, The Nation reported.

Country-by-country weather today

Earthquakes

The USGS recorded four earthquakes of magnitude 4.4 or greater in the region in the 48 hours to 6 a.m. Bangkok time on October 23. Shallow quakes are usually felt more strongly.

Tsunami: the USGS flagged no tsunami for any of these events.

Volcanoes

Alert levels are set by Indonesia’s PVMBG and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), as compiled in the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program weekly report for October 15–21.

Haze, fires and air quality

The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre has kept the southern region at Alert Level 3 since August 26, reporting widespread hotspots in Kalimantan and southern Sumatra. Singapore’s 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was 71–96 (moderate) at 6 p.m. on October 22; NEA forecasts 101–150 (unhealthy) for October 23. Free N95 masks for Singaporeans aged 60 and over are being handed out from October 23, AsiaOne reported.

Malaysia’s Department of Environment recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings in 30 areas at 9 a.m. on October 20, peaking at 172 in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malay Mail reported. Schools suspend outdoor activities when the API exceeds 100. MetMalaysia director-general Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said the haze should gradually subside next week, Malay Mail reported on October 21.

What to watch over the next few days

• Batanes: PAGASA says Signal No. 3 is likely to be raised there, less so if Rosal tracks more north-northwest. It expects Rosal to recurve north-northeast on Saturday and possibly weaken to a severe tropical storm.
• Thailand: TMD’s next advisory is due at 5 a.m. on October 23, and the high-tide period noted above begins October 27.
• Haze: NEA expects some Sumatran smoke to drift toward Singapore on Saturday before conditions improve on Sunday; Malaysia’s environment minister said the Northeast Monsoon, expected in late October, could shift haze away from Sarawak and Johor (Malay Mail).
• Northern Sumatra: BMKG’s alert warns of possible floods, flash floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra and Riau.
• Volcanoes: exclusion zones remain in force around Semeru, Merapi and Krakatau.

About this article

This article summarises official bulletins and news reports from regional weather, disaster and volcano agencies; it is not an official warning, and readers should follow their national agency and local authorities. Figures are as published at the times stated and may since have changed; knots, metres per second and nautical miles were converted to km/h and km, and conflicting figures are attributed with their dates. Volcano information reflects a weekly summary and may lag the latest agency bulletins.

Frequently asked questions

Will Typhoon Rosal make landfall in the Philippines?

PAGASA’s forecast positions keep the centre over the sea east and north of Itbayat. It expected the closest approach to Extreme Northern Luzon between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

What do Singapore’s PSI and Malaysia’s API readings mean?

Both are air quality indexes in which higher numbers mean dirtier air, and values above 100 count as unhealthy. NEA advises healthy people to reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor exertion at those levels, and the elderly, pregnant women, children and people with heart or lung disease to cut back further.

What is causing the haze?

ASMC says El Niño conditions are present and predicted to strengthen in October and November, and that fire-prone areas with prolonged dry conditions face a continued risk of severe transboundary haze. MetMalaysia attributes the haze to smoke from fire-affected areas in neighbouring countries. Nusantara Atlas data cited by Malay Mail show more than 1.9 million hectares burned in Indonesia from January to the end of September.

What do BMKG’s “Siaga” and “Waspada” warnings mean?

“Siaga” (alert) means heavy to very heavy rain with potential for hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, flash floods and landslides. “Waspada” (caution) means moderate to heavy rain that may cause waterlogging, river overflows and landslides, according to the BMKG warning summarised by Kontan.