Southeast Asia Weather & Natural Hazards Today: Friday, October 30, 2026

Oct 30, 2026 · @Paul

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather

Heavy rain and flash-flood risk in southern Thailand, heavy-rain alerts for Aceh and North Sumatra in Indonesia, and a run of moderate earthquakes off eastern Mindanao in the Philippines are the main hazards across Southeast Asia on Friday. Smoke haze from fires in Kalimantan remains a concern under the ASEAN regional Alert Level 3, although Singapore’s air quality stayed in the moderate range on Thursday.

No tropical cyclone threatens Southeast Asia. Typhoon In-fa is a powerful storm but lies far out in the western Pacific near the Northern Mariana Islands, and a weak low-pressure area over the Andaman Sea has a low chance of becoming a significant tropical cyclone within 24 hours. This report is current to 5:50 a.m. Friday in Bangkok, Hanoi and Jakarta (UTC+7), 6:50 a.m. in Manila, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (UTC+8), and 6:50 p.m. Thursday, October 29, US Eastern time.

Key facts

Tropical cyclones

None of the systems below threatens Southeast Asia.

An “invest” is an area of disturbed weather that forecasters are investigating for possible development.

Floods and heavy rain

Thailand

The Thai Meteorological Department forecast heavy to very heavy rain in the South from 6 p.m. Thursday to 6 p.m. Friday, with isolated very heavy falls in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon and Phuket, The Nation reported. Waves could exceed 2 metres in thundershowers in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.

The Hydro-Informatics Institute’s 11 a.m. Thursday assessment flagged a 24-hour flash-flood risk in parts of Chumphon (Tha Sae, Pathio and Mueang Chumphon) and Phuket (Chalong and Rawai), and listed ten southern provinces for flood risk. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) sent a Cell Broadcast warning to phones in Phuket City as the Bang Yai Canal rose, telling residents of low-lying, canal-side areas to move belongings to higher ground.

Earlier flooding in central Thailand is still being counted. As of 6 a.m. on October 27, DDPM data showed floods affecting 978,112 people in 327,004 households across 20 provinces and two eastern Bangkok districts, with water receding in most areas. Deaths listed by province in that report included 26 in Prachin Buri and four in Bangkok.

Indonesia

Indonesia’s meteorology agency BMKG placed Aceh and North Sumatra at “Siaga” (alert) level for Friday, meaning heavy to very heavy rain with potential floods, flash floods and landslides, Kontan reported on Thursday evening. Another 24 provinces, including Jakarta, West, Central and East Java, Bali and four Kalimantan provinces, are at “Waspada” (watch) level for moderate to heavy rain.

Country-by-country weather today

Earthquakes

The two strongest Philippine quakes struck at sea off Surigao del Sur on Thursday. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) put them at magnitude 5.9 and 5.6, slightly higher than the US Geological Survey (USGS) figures below, and reported shaking at Intensity V (strong) in Lingig, GMA News said. PHIVOLCS expected no damage but said aftershocks were possible.

Tsunami status: none of these events carries a tsunami flag in USGS data, and no tsunami warning has been reported.

Volcanoes

Indonesia uses four alert levels (I to IV) and the Philippines uses six (0 to 5); higher numbers mean greater danger.

Haze, fires and air quality

The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) has Alert Level 3 active for the southern ASEAN region and reports scattered hotspots mainly in eastern Kalimantan, with moderate to dense smoke from clusters in East Kalimantan and some local stations reading “Unhealthy” to “Hazardous”. In Singapore, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) ranged from 69 to 78 at noon Thursday, in the moderate band, The Straits Times reported via The Star; the one-hour PM2.5 reading in the west briefly entered the elevated range at 57 at 11 a.m. before falling to 47. ASMC says increased inter-monsoon showers in late October could start to ease the haze.

What to watch over the next few days

• Southern Thailand: the Hydro-Informatics Institute’s 48-hour watch covers Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon and Phuket, including Kathu and Mai Khao.
• Andaman Sea low (Invest 91B): JTWC expects gradual development over the next few days in warm water of 29–30°C.
• Philippines over the long weekend: PAGASA expects the shear line to shift south toward Bicol, Aurora, Quezon and Samar on Saturday, and the northeast monsoon to bring light rain to Metro Manila and much of Luzon by Monday, November 2.
• Vietnam: a second cold-air surge is due in early November, with high pressure intensifying around November 1–2.
• Typhoon In-fa: forecast to stay near its current strength through Saturday before weakening, well away from Southeast Asia.

About this article

This article summarizes official bulletins from national weather, disaster and geological agencies and news reports that cite them; it is not an official warning, and readers should follow their national agency for decisions about safety. Wind speeds were converted from knots and miles per hour to km/h, and distances from nautical miles and statute miles to km. Earthquake magnitudes come from the USGS unless PHIVOLCS is named, and the two agencies often differ slightly.

Frequently asked questions

Will Typhoon In-fa hit the Philippines? Current forecasts do not take it toward the Philippines. Weathernews, citing the Japan Meteorological Agency, expects it to pass north of the Northern Mariana Islands and head toward waters near Japan’s Ogasawara Islands by November 1.

Is it safe to travel to Phuket this weekend? Thai agencies have flagged flash-flood risk in parts of Phuket, including Chalong and Rawai, and waves above 2 metres are possible in thunderstorms. Travellers should check DDPM and Thai Meteorological Department updates and follow local instructions; the DDPM hotline is 1784.

What does BMKG’s “Siaga” level mean? It is BMKG’s alert level for heavy to very heavy rain that could cause floods, flash floods or landslides. The lower “Waspada” level means moderate to heavy rain with possible local flooding and river overflow.

Is the haze affecting Singapore? On Thursday, Singapore’s air quality stayed mostly in the normal to moderate range, with one brief elevated PM2.5 reading in the west. Singapore’s National Environment Agency publishes hourly readings on its haze website.

Sources

• US National Weather Service Guam: Typhoon In-fa advisory 24A
• JTWC: Western Pacific significant tropical weather advisory
• JTWC: Indian Ocean significant tropical weather advisory
• JMA: active tropical cyclone list
• Weathernews: Typhoon In-fa forecast to track north of Northern Mariana Islands
• The Nation: Rain forecast for 36 Thai provinces as South faces flash flood risk
• The Nation: DDPM alerts Phuket City as 10 provinces face flood risk
• The Nation: Thai floods affect 978,000 as waters recede
• The Nation: Bangkok, six provinces on tidal flood alert until Nov 5
• Kontan: BMKG early warning for Friday, October 30
• GMA News: PAGASA Undas 2026 weather outlook
• VietNamNet: Two cold air surges to hit Vietnam’s south
• MetMalaysia: warning bulletin, strong winds and rough seas
• NEA: Haze situation update, 28 October 2026
• The Star / The Straits Times: Haze in Singapore, PM2.5 reading in the west returns to normal
• ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre
• USGS earthquake catalogue query
• GMA News: Two magnitude 5+ earthquakes recorded off Surigao del Sur
• MalangTIMES: Semeru records 29 eruption quakes in six hours
• iNews via RCTI+: PVMBG lowers Lewotobi Laki-laki to Waspada
• Daily Tribune: Taal logs minor eruption