Southeast Asia Weather & Natural Hazards Today: Monday, October 26, 2026

Oct 26, 2026 · @Paul

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather

Heavy rain in southern Thailand and northern Peninsular Malaysia, lingering smoke haze around Singapore and Malaysia, and widespread rain warnings across Indonesia are the main hazards across Southeast Asia on Monday. In the Philippines, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ, a belt of rising air near the equator that fuels showers) keeps rain over the Visayas, Mindanao, Bicol and Palawan.

No tropical cyclone threatens Southeast Asia directly. A deep depression in the Bay of Bengal is forecast to strike India’s east coast, and Thai forecasters say it is not expected to move directly into Thailand. This report is current to 06:00 Monday, October 26 in Bangkok, Hanoi and Jakarta (UTC+7), 07:00 in Manila, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (UTC+8), and 7:00 p.m. Sunday, October 25 US Eastern time (EDT).

Key facts

Tropical cyclones

None of the three active systems threatens Southeast Asian land.

The TMD says the Bay of Bengal storm “is not expected to move directly into Thailand”, though it describes a northward track towards India or Bangladesh, unlike IMD’s west-northwest track. Vietnam’s National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting says In-fa may stay outside the South China Sea.

Floods and heavy rain

Thailand

Flooding disrupted travel in Thalang, Mueang Phuket and Kathu districts of Phuket on Sunday, October 25, leaving part of Thepkrasattri Road impassable to small vehicles, The Nation reported. No casualties were reported.

The TMD’s 5 a.m. Sunday advisory warns of heavy to very heavy rain in southern Thailand from October 25 to 28, including Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi, driven by a strengthening monsoon trough and a low-pressure area. It warns of flash floods and run-off, and of waves above 2 metres in thundershowers.

Malaysia

MetMalaysia placed Perlis and Penang, nine districts of Kedah (including Langkawi and Kota Setar) and seven districts of Perak (including Kerian, Larut Matang and Manjung) under a continuous rain warning at alert level until Monday, October 26. On Sunday evening it also warned of thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds in Labuan and parts of Kelantan, Pahang, Terengganu, Johor, Sarawak and Sabah.

Country-by-country weather today

Earthquakes

The largest quakes in Southeast Asia over the past 48 hours, per the US Geological Survey (USGS), were moderate:

Tsunami status: none of these quakes carries a USGS tsunami flag.

Volcanoes

Activity below covers October 15 to 21 unless stated, from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program’s weekly report. Indonesian levels run from 1 to 4; Philippine levels run from 0 to 5.

Haze, fires and air quality

Air quality in Singapore improved on Sunday after several days of smoke haze in Singapore and Malaysia. Singapore’s 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was 91 to 107 (moderate to unhealthy) at 7 p.m. on October 25, down from 108 to 151 a day earlier, when the National Environment Agency (NEA) saw smoke from Sumatra drifting towards the island. NEA forecasts a PSI of 70 to 100 (moderate) on Monday and says showers and southwest-to-west winds through Wednesday “should further help the haze situation”; normal activities can continue.

In Malaysia, 21 areas had unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API, above 100) readings at 9 a.m. on October 24, with Seremban and Larkin highest at 169, Bernama reported via Sinar Harian. The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre reports few to isolated hotspots in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Sarawak and the northern Philippines, with no significant smoke plumes visible through the cloud cover.

What to watch over the next few days

• Southern Thailand: the TMD’s heavy-rain window runs to Wednesday, October 28, raising the flash-flood risk on the Andaman coast and in the central south.
• Bangkok and upper Thailand: heavy rain is forecast for the capital on Monday and Tuesday as a cold air mass from China brings thundershowers.
• Central Vietnam: showers, locally heavy, from Thanh Hoa to Hue from Monday afternoon to Thursday.
• Bay of Bengal storm: IMD expects landfall in Andhra Pradesh, India, on Wednesday morning; meanwhile, the TMD says the monsoon trough is drawing moisture into the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.
• Haze: NEA expects winds and showers to keep helping Singapore’s air through Wednesday; any dry spell could let hotspots flare again, the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre notes.

About this article

This article summarises official bulletins and news reports; it is not an official warning, and readers should follow their national weather and disaster agencies for decisions about safety. Figures are given as published by each agency with their date and time; wind speeds in knots were converted to km/h and nautical miles to km. Volcano activity reflects the most recent weekly summary and may lag current conditions, and storm positions can change quickly between bulletins.

Frequently asked questions

Will the Bay of Bengal storm hit Thailand or Myanmar? IMD forecasts landfall in India’s Andhra Pradesh, and the TMD says it is not expected to move directly into Thailand. No bulletin cited here points it towards Myanmar.

Is it safe to travel to Phuket this week? Heavy rain is forecast for southern Thailand through Wednesday, and some Phuket roads flooded on Sunday. Travellers should avoid flooded roads and check TMD advisories before boat trips.

What do Indonesia’s Siaga and Waspada warnings mean? They are BMKG’s alert tiers. Waspada (alert) signals moderate to heavy rain that may cause puddles, river overflow or landslides; Siaga (standby) signals heavy to very heavy rain with a significant risk of floods, flash floods and landslides.

Is the haze over in Singapore? Not entirely, but NEA forecasts moderate readings on Monday and expects showers and favourable winds to help through Wednesday. People with heart or lung conditions should check NEA’s hourly readings.

Sources

• ANI: Depression over Bay of Bengal intensifies (Oct 25)
• Pragativadi: Bay of Bengal deep depression intensifies (Oct 25)
• JTWC Western Pacific tropical weather outlook
• JTWC Indian Ocean tropical weather outlook
• The Watchers: Typhoon Champi aftermath in Taiwan (Oct 25)
• The Nation: TMD warns Thai South of heavy rain as Bay of Bengal storm develops (Oct 25)
• The Nation: Phuket flooding disrupts travel (Oct 25)
• The Nation: TMD warns 5 southern provinces of very heavy rain (Oct 24)
• Malay Mail: Continuous rain warning for Penang and northern states (Oct 25)
• Malay Mail: Thunderstorm warning for Labuan and six states (Oct 25)
• DTiNews: Northern Vietnam set for sunshine as storm In-Fa gains strength (Oct 25)
• GMA News: ITCZ to bring rains, thunderstorms over parts of PH (Oct 25)
• Manila Times: Rains expected in Bicol, Romblon on Monday (Oct 25)
• Kontan/Momsmoney: BMKG early warning for Oct 26
• NEA: Haze Situation Update (25 October 2026)
• NEA: Haze Situation Update (24 October 2026)
• Sinar Harian: Jerebu: 21 kawasan catat IPU tidak sihat (Oct 24)
• ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre
• USGS earthquake catalogue query
• Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program weekly report (Oct 15–21)
• Bombo Radyo: Taal phreatic eruptions, PHIVOLCS (Oct 19)