Southeast Asia Weather & Natural Hazards Today: Sunday, November 8, 2026

Nov 8, 2026 · @Paul

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather

Heavy rain is the main hazard across mainland Southeast Asia on Sunday, November 8. Vietnam’s forecasters expect torrential rain in central provinces from tonight, after flash flooding in Lao Cai on Saturday, while Thailand’s south and Malaysia’s east coast face very heavy rain as a cold air mass and northeast monsoon winds strengthen. Mayon volcano in the Philippines remains at Alert Level 3 and Semeru in East Java continues to send out hot avalanches.

Tropical Storm Cempaka is moving west-northwest over the open Pacific south of Japan, well east of the Philippines, and official forecasts turn it away to the north and east before it nears the region. No tropical cyclone is active in the South China Sea, Bay of Bengal or Andaman Sea. This report is current to 07:00 on November 8 Bangkok, Hanoi and Jakarta time (UTC+7), 08:00 Manila, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur time (UTC+8), and 19:00 on Saturday, November 7, US Eastern time.

Key facts

Tropical cyclones

Tropical Storm Cempaka is the only active system near the region, and none of the agencies’ forecast tracks bring it toward the Philippines. The three agencies below describe the same storm at different times; JTWC measures winds over one minute and JMA over ten minutes, so their speeds differ.

In the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, JTWC listed no tropical cyclone or suspect area in its North Indian Ocean outlook issued at 13:30 Bangkok time on November 7.

Floods and heavy rain

Vietnam

Heavy local rain from the morning of November 7 flooded villages in four communes of Lao Cai province in the far north: Bac Ha, Bao Nhai, Cao Son and Ban Lien. A rain station at La Pan Tan in Cao Son recorded 162 mm overnight into November 7, landslides dumped about 1,670 cubic metres of soil and rock on roads, and a spillway on Provincial Road 154 lay under nearly 2 m of water. Rescue police freed four residents trapped on a rooftop in Bac Ha, and the provincial chairman ordered localities to evacuate people from flood- and landslide-prone areas when needed, SGGP reported.

The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF) expects 100 to 200 mm of rain, locally over 300 mm, from southern Nghe An to northern Quang Tri from tonight through Monday night. From November 9 to the night of November 11, Hue, Da Nang and eastern Quang Ngai could receive 250 to 450 mm, with some places above 700 mm, and southern Quang Tri and eastern Quang Ngai to Dak Lak 150 to 300 mm. Rivers in Hue are forecast to reach or exceed Alert Level 2, the middle of Vietnam’s three flood alert levels. A later NCHMF bulletin, reported by Travel And Tour World, gave a lower range for tonight: 70 to 140 mm, locally over 200 mm.

Thailand

The Thai Meteorological Department’s 13th advisory, issued at 17:00 on November 7, warns of flash floods and run-off in low-lying areas, near waterways and in foothills across the south through November 9. Very heavy rain is forecast today in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla and Narathiwat, with heavy rain in eight other southern provinces including Surat Thani, Pattani and Yala. On Monday the very heavy rain spreads to Surat Thani, Phatthalung and Pattani. A cold air mass from China is driving the rain, and waves can exceed 2 m in thunderstorm areas offshore.

Malaysia

MetMalaysia expects continuous rain in Kelantan and Terengganu from today until November 11, including Kota Bharu, Pasir Mas, Tumpat and Kuala Terengganu, and in Sandakan division of Sabah from November 9. Director-general Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said forecast models indicate “a monsoon surge is expected to affect the country from Nov 9 to 11”, which could bring continuous heavy rain to the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia and eastern Sabah, Malay Mail reported.

Country-by-country weather today

Earthquakes

No earthquake of magnitude 5 or above struck the region in the 48 hours to 07:00 Bangkok time, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The table lists the five largest and most recent of seven events of magnitude 4.4 or above that USGS recorded.

Tsunami status: USGS assigned no tsunami flag to any of these events.

Volcanoes

Alert levels run from 0 or 1 (normal) to 5 in the Philippines and from I to IV in Indonesia. Dates show when each status was last confirmed in a published report.

Haze, fires and air quality

Singapore’s National Environment Agency expects the haze situation to remain suppressed as wetter inter-monsoon weather sets in. The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre has downgraded the southern ASEAN region to Alert Level 1, the lowest of its three haze alert levels, though moderate to dense smoke plumes persist over southern Kalimantan. In Singapore, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) stood at 51 to 55, in the Moderate range, at 18:00 on November 7, and the National Environment Agency forecasts 40 to 60 (Good to Moderate) for today. Singapore ended mask distribution and closed haze shelters at 18:00 on November 7, and the agency said its November 7 update would be its last of the haze season.

What to watch over the next few days

• Central Vietnam, November 9 to 12: the heaviest rain and river flooding from Quang Tri to Dak Lak, with Hue, Da Nang and eastern Quang Ngai most exposed.
• Northern Vietnam’s first cold spell: NCHMF describes the cold air arriving from Monday as the first widespread cold spell of the 2026–2027 winter, with Hanoi highs of 22 to 23°C.
• Malaysia’s monsoon surge, November 9 to 11: continuous heavy rain on the east coast of the peninsula and in eastern Sabah, with Kelantan and Terengganu already in the forecast rain zone.
• Southern Thailand: very heavy rain continues through Monday; the next TMD advisory is due at 05:00 Bangkok time.
• Tropical Storm Cempaka: JMA forecasts it to become a typhoon south of Japan on Monday and then turn north-northeast; later advisories will confirm whether the track stays east of the Philippines.

About this article

This report summarises official bulletins from national weather, volcano and environment agencies and from news reports that cite them. It is not an official warning: readers in affected areas should follow their national agencies and local authorities. Wind speeds were converted from knots (1 knot = 1.852 km/h), forecast rainfall totals are predictions rather than measurements, and statuses are as of the dates shown, so some may have changed since publication.

Frequently asked questions

Will Tropical Storm Cempaka hit the Philippines? Not on current forecasts. Both JMA and JTWC turn the storm north and then east near 135°E, south of Japan, and PAGASA places it outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

Why is central Vietnam expecting so much rain? A strong cold air mass is pushing south and will spread into the North Central region and central Vietnam from tonight, according to NCHMF. Its forecasts call for rain totals in the hundreds of millimetres over three days, with flood warnings for rivers from Quang Tri to Dak Lak.

What is a monsoon surge? A monsoon surge is a burst of stronger, cooler northeast winds that pushes moist air from the South China Sea onto coasts facing northeast. MetMalaysia expects one from November 9 to 11, bringing continuous heavy rain to the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia and eastern Sabah.

Is the haze over in Singapore? Singapore’s National Environment Agency expects haze to stay suppressed and has ended most haze measures. Two Ministry of Health haze support schemes for patients stay active until November 12.

Sources

• JMA tropical cyclone information, TC2638 (Cempaka) specifications and forecast
• JTWC Tropical Depression 31W warning no. 3
• JTWC Western Pacific significant tropical weather advisory
• JTWC Indian Ocean significant tropical weather advisory
• Daily Tribune: Heavy rains threaten Quezon, parts of MIMAROPA (Nov 7)
• Travel And Tour World: Philippines tracks Tropical Storm Cempaka offshore (Nov 7)
• DTiNews: Central region braces for torrential rain from November 8
• SGGP: Cold snap in north, heavy rain in central Vietnam (Nov 6)
• SGGP: Heavy rain triggers flooding and landslides across four communes in Lao Cai (Nov 7)
• The Nation: Very heavy rain threatens southern Thailand (Nov 7)
• Thairath: Meteorological Department issue 11 (Nov 6)
• Malay Mail: MetMalaysia warns of heavy rain in four states (Nov 7)
• Malay Mail: MetMalaysia forecasts continuous rain in Kelantan, Terengganu (Nov 6)
• Disway: Prakiraan cuaca ekstrem Minggu, 8 November 2026
• Tribunnews: Peringatan dini 6 ibu kota di Pulau Jawa, 8 November
• USGS earthquake catalogue query, Nov 6–8
• Manila Times: PHIVOLCS warns of possible Mayon Alert Level 4 escalation (Nov 3)
• GMA News: 24,000 families affected by Kanlaon eruption (Oct 12)
• Suara: Gunung Semeru erupsi, awan panas meluncur 5,5 km (Nov 7)
• VolcanoDiscovery: Lewotobi news
• ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre
• NEA: Haze situation update, 7 November 2026
• NEA: Cessation of mask distribution and closure of haze shelters (Nov 5)
• MustShareNews: Haze less likely in first half of November (Oct 29)