Southeast Asia Weather & Natural Hazards Today: Friday, November 13, 2026

Nov 13, 2026 · @Paul

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather

Heavy rain from the northeast monsoon is the main hazard across Southeast Asia on Friday, November 13. The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) forecasts very heavy rain in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon and Surat Thani, Indonesia’s BMKG has a “Siaga” (alert) heavy-rain warning for five provinces, and about 1,180 people remain in relief centres in Selangor, Malaysia. Central Vietnam is clearing up after several days of flooding and landslides, and Semeru volcano in East Java erupted repeatedly on Thursday.

No tropical cyclone threatens the region. The only active storm in the western Pacific, Typhoon Cempaka, is far to the north-east near Japan’s remote islands and moving away. This report is current to about 07:00 Friday in Bangkok, Hanoi and Jakarta (UTC+7), 08:00 Friday in Manila, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (UTC+8), and 7 p.m. Thursday, November 12, US Eastern time.

Key facts

Tropical cyclones

No tropical cyclone, depression or low-pressure area threatens Southeast Asia.

JTWC lists no other system in the western North Pacific or South China Sea, and none in the Bay of Bengal or Andaman Sea. The Japan Meteorological Agency’s tropical cyclone list was empty on Friday morning. In the Philippines, PAGASA said on Thursday it was not monitoring any low-pressure area that could become a tropical cyclone. The ASEAN disaster centre (AHA Centre) also said Cempaka was not expected to directly affect ASEAN countries.

Floods and heavy rain

Thailand

TMD’s warning, issued at 17:00 Thursday (UTC+7), covers 18:00 Thursday to 18:00 Friday. Very heavy rain is forecast on Friday for Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon and Surat Thani, and heavy rain for Phetchaburi, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Ranong. Small boats in the lower Gulf of Thailand are told to stay ashore. The Office of the National Water Resources has put eight southern provinces under special monitoring, with rain periods expected on November 11–14 and 18–21.

Further north, river flooding that began in September continues. As of 18:00 on November 8 (UTC+7), the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) counted about 63,200 households (162,800 people) still affected in Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Lop Buri, Suphan Buri, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Nakhon Pathom and Samut Songkhram, according to the AHA Centre. The Chao Phraya Dam’s discharge is due to rise to 1,000–1,200 cubic metres per second, and governors of 11 basin provinces have been notified.

Vietnam

Rain from Monday to Tuesday dropped 150–250 mm over Hue, Da Nang, eastern Quang Ngai and Dak Lak, and more than 400 mm in places, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. Huong Son in Quang Tri recorded 402 mm. More than 10,000 cubic metres of rock and earth buried about 100 m of National Highway 9C in Quang Tri, and a landslide on Highway 1D at Quy Hoa Pass in Gia Lai trapped trucks. In Quang Ngai, the Phuoc Giang River flooded 0.5–1.5 m deep, cutting off nearly 500 households, and about 145 households were evacuated in Tra Leng, Ngoc Linh and Mang But. The reports cited recorded no deaths. The forecast centre expects rain to ease further on Friday and Saturday.

In Thanh Hoa, 315 mm fell at Chuoi station from November 8 to early afternoon November 9. Local reports put flooded homes in Nong Cong commune at “more than 1,000” (SGGP, Nov 10) and 1,577 (Vietnam News Agency via The Star, Nov 10).

Malaysia

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim chaired a special meeting on Thursday on recurring floods in Selangor, where evacuees are sheltering in Petaling and Kuala Selangor. Eligible heads of household receive RM3,000 in state flood aid. MetMalaysia issued a thunderstorm alert on Thursday afternoon for districts in Kedah, Penang, Perak, Pahang, Johor, Sarawak and Sabah, for rain above 20 mm an hour. MetMalaysia expects three to five episodes of continuous heavy rain between November and January.

Country-by-country weather today

Earthquakes

The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded four earthquakes of magnitude 4.4 or more in Southeast Asia in the 48 hours to Friday morning, all in eastern Indonesia. USGS issued no impact alert for any of them.

Tsunami status: USGS flagged none of these events for tsunami potential.

Volcanoes

Alert levels below are from the AHA Centre’s weekly update for November 2–8, citing PHIVOLCS (Philippines, scale 0–5) and Indonesia’s volcanology agency PVMBG (scale I–IV), unless noted.

Haze, fires and air quality

There is no regional haze episode. The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) has lowered the southern ASEAN haze alert from Level 1 to Level 0, which it says marks the end of the dry season there. ASMC reported isolated hotspots in Kalimantan, with moderate smoke plumes in eastern Kalimantan and moderate smoke haze over central Sulawesi and southern Papua, and expects showers to keep hotspots suppressed.

What to watch over the next few days

• Southern Thailand: TMD’s next update was due at 05:00 Friday (UTC+7); Thai water officials expect a second rain period on November 18–21.
• Chao Phraya basin: higher releases from the Chao Phraya Dam put renewed pressure on river levels, while central provinces remain flooded.
• Malaysia: more monsoon rain spells are expected through January, with Kelantan and Selangor among the areas recently warned or flooded.
• Central Vietnam: rain eases on Friday and Saturday, with scattered showers from Sunday; Khanh Hoa officials say flood risk remains even as rivers fall.
• Semeru and Mayon: continuing eruptions and ash emissions; residents near both volcanoes should follow exclusion-zone rules.

About this article

This report summarises official bulletins and news reports from national weather, disaster and geological agencies; it is not an official warning, and readers should follow their national agency for decisions about safety. Wind speeds were converted from knots (1 knot = 1.852 km/h) and distances from nautical miles (1 nautical mile = 1.852 km), then rounded. Where sources give different figures, each is given with its source and date. Some data, including volcano alert levels and the Philippine forecast, come from bulletins issued between one day and about a month before publication, and conditions can change quickly.

Frequently asked questions

Is a typhoon heading for the Philippines or Vietnam?

No. The only active typhoon in the western Pacific, Cempaka, is far north-east of the Philippines near Japan’s remote islands and moving away from Asia. PAGASA said on Thursday it was not watching any low-pressure area that could develop.

Why is it raining so much in southern Thailand and Malaysia now?

The region is in the northeast monsoon season, which MetMalaysia says began on October 27 and runs to March 2027. MetMalaysia expects the spells of continuous heavy rain to fall between November and January, with rainfall decreasing from January, especially in the northern peninsula and Sabah.

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

BMKG uses “Waspada” (watch) for moderate to heavy rain and “Siaga” (alert) for heavy to very heavy rain. Its highest level, “Awas”, is used for very heavy to extreme rain.

Is haze a problem in Singapore or Malaysia this week?

No regional haze episode is under way, and ASMC has lowered its alert to Level 0. Isolated hotspots and some smoke remain in parts of Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua, but showers are expected to keep them in check.

Sources

• JTWC Western Pacific significant tropical weather advisory, Nov 12, 06:00 UTC
• JTWC Indian Ocean significant tropical weather advisory, Nov 11, 18:00 UTC
• Japan Meteorological Agency tropical cyclone list
• Philippine News Agency: Easterlies, amihan to bring rains to parts of PH (Nov 12)
• GMA News: Easterlies bring rain to Eastern Visayas, Bicol, Davao, Caraga (Nov 12)
• The Nation: Heavy rain and flash flood risks persist across southern Thailand (Nov 12)
• The Nation: TMD forecasts heavy rain in 14 southern provinces on Nov 12
• The Nation: Thailand steps up southern flood preparations (Nov 12)
• The Star: Prolonged heavy rain poses flooding in central Vietnam (Nov 10)
• SGGP: Flooding affects over 1,000 homes in Thanh Hoa Province (Nov 10)
• SGGP: Heavy rain triggers landslides on National Highway 1D in Gia Lai (Nov 11)
• SGGP: Central region races to recover from flooding, landslides (Nov 12)
• The Star: Anwar chairs special meeting to tackle recurring floods in Selangor (Nov 12)
• Malay Mail: Heavy rain to lash parts of Kedah, Penang, Perak, Pahang, Johor, Sarawak and Sabah (Nov 12)
• Malay Mail: Kelantan braces for floods (Nov 9)
• Bernama: MetMalaysia warns of flood risk during 2026/2027 northeast monsoon (Oct 23)
• Meteorological Service Singapore: weather outlook, Oct 29–Nov 15
• Kontan: BMKG early warning for 30 provinces, Nov 13 (Nov 12)
• Tribunnews: BMKG forecast for six Java capitals, Nov 13 (Nov 12)
• USGS earthquake catalogue, Nov 11–13
• Antara: Semeru erupts continuously with columns up to 1 km (Nov 12)
• CGTN: PHIVOLCS reports ash emission at Mayon (Nov 3)
• Manila Times: PHIVOLCS reports moderate explosive eruption at Kanlaon (Oct 11)
• AHA Centre: Weekly Disaster Update, Nov 2–8, 2026
• ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre