Flash Floods Through September 27. Bangkok Is Included. Plus, Thailand Is Closing Its Cannabis Market.

🌡️ Weather: 25-31°C (77-88°F). Heavy to very heavy rain. TMD warning through September 27. A low-pressure system from central Vietnam is moving across Thailand's lower Northeast, East and Central regions including Bangkok. Southwest monsoon strengthening. Small boats in the upper Gulf ordered ashore September 24-27. Waves 2-3 meters. Plan for rain every day through the weekend.

🌫️ Air Quality: 88-153 (Moderate to Very Unhealthy). Back up slightly. Humid conditions between downpours trap pollutants near the ground. Check sensors before heading out.

FLASH FLOODS ACROSS THAILAND THROUGH SEPTEMBER 27. HEAVY TO VERY HEAVY RAIN. BANGKOK INCLUDED. THE TMD SAYS PLAN YOUR WEEK CAREFULLY.

The Thai Meteorological Department issued a five-day warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall from September 23 through September 27, with an increased risk of flash floods and forest runoff across multiple regions. The lower Northeast and East are expected to be hit first before the rain spreads to the North, Central Thailand including Bangkok and surrounding provinces, and the South. A strong low-pressure area over the coast of central Vietnam is driving the system, moving along a monsoon trough that stretches across upper Thailand while the southwest monsoon covering the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand strengthens simultaneously.

The practical impact for Bangkok is heavy rain in many areas with very heavy rain possible in some locations throughout the warning period. The TMD warned residents to watch for accumulated rainfall over several days, which can trigger flash floods even in areas that handle a single downpour without problems. Low-lying roads, areas near waterways and communities on foothills are at highest risk. Mariners face 2-3 meter waves in the upper Gulf, rising above 3 meters during thunderstorms. Small boats in the upper Gulf have been ordered to remain ashore from September 24 to 27. For anyone planning outdoor events, day trips or travel this week, the advice is direct: assume rain, carry protection, avoid flood-prone routes and check conditions daily.

Bottom line: Five days. Heavy to very heavy rain. Bangkok included. Flash flood risk rising with accumulated rainfall. This is not a standard afternoon shower forecast. It is the most intense sustained rainfall warning of the monsoon season. Plan accordingly and keep checking.

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Thailand's Cabinet approved a cannabis control bill on September 22 that would tighten oversight from cultivation through retail sales, reinforce the country's medical-use framework and introduce clearer penalties for violations. The draft now moves to the House of Representatives. Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat said cannabis farms would need to be registered by size and location. Licences would be required for cultivation, production, import, export and sale, each valid for three years. Sales would be prohibited to anyone under 20, pregnant women and breastfeeding women, and restricted at schools, temples, dormitories and parks. Advertising cannabis flower, resin and smoking equipment would be banned entirely.

If you have walked past a cannabis shop on Khaosan Road, Sukhumvit or any tourist street in Bangkok over the past four years, what you saw was the result of a 2022 decriminalization that removed cannabis from the narcotics list without replacing it with a regulatory framework. The industry grew in the gap. Roughly 12,000 cannabis outlets opened nationwide. Dispensaries appeared next to 7-Elevens. Tourists posted videos of buying pre-rolls from vending machines. Thailand became the only country in Southeast Asia where you could legally buy cannabis over the counter. The bill reverses that. Current shop licences expire progressively between 2026 and 2028. To continue operating afterward, a shop must meet medical facility requirements: an authorized health practitioner must be present and cannabis must be dispensed under a medical prescription. Street-front recreational shops that cannot meet those requirements will either convert or close. Phuket has already moved, with 35 licences revoked and 112 suspended. More than 10,000 shops and cultivation sites are now in the government's tracking system covering 95% of registered locations.

Bottom line: The open cannabis market Thailand accidentally created in 2022 is being closed. The bill has not become law yet. It still needs to pass the House. But the direction is unmistakable: medical use stays, recreational retail goes, and the 12,000 shops that opened in the regulatory vacuum have between now and 2028 to either become medical dispensaries or stop selling cannabis. If you enjoy the current arrangement, the window is closing.

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A minister is probing ฿100 million in Israeli-linked land purchases across Thailand. The investigation was announced on September 23 and targets property transactions connected to Israeli nationals or entities operating through Thai corporate structures. The probe connects directly to the nominee crackdown we have been covering since August, but this is the first time a specific nationality and a specific monetary figure have been attached to a ministerial-level investigation. The ฿100 million figure likely represents a fraction of the actual total, given that government data shows foreign-invested companies holding 1.06 million rai of Thai land nationwide.

Chon Buri flagged 14,264 firms with foreign shareholders for nominee checks. The provincial investigation represents the largest single-province nominee screening we have covered. 14,264 companies in one province. The Pattaya and eastern seaboard corridor has long been one of the most concentrated areas for foreign-invested property and business operations. The number gives you a sense of scale: if one province produces 14,264 companies to review, the national total across all 77 provinces is a number the enforcement system has never attempted before.

Thailand's tourist arrivals topped 22 million through mid-September. Malaysia and Japan led the surge in source markets. The milestone puts Thailand on track to approach or exceed the 33 million target for 2026 if the fourth-quarter high season performs as expected. The 22 million figure also validates the government's decision to invest heavily in airline route expansion, with Thai Airways now operating 66 international routes for the winter season.

Buakaw brought Muay Thai to a Washington DC festival this week. The legendary Thai boxer appeared at the Sawasdee DC Festival, demonstrating Muay Thai techniques and promoting the sport to an American audience. Thailand's soft power strategy in September alone has included Lisa's SaWaDiKa music video (70.8 million views in 24 hours), Chud Thai national dress at Tokyo National Museum, and now Buakaw in Washington. The soft power output is running ahead of the budget allocated to produce it.

🍽️ SPOT OF THE DAY

NORA BKK (SAMSEN, PHRA NAKHON)

NORA sits on Samsen 2 Alley in Phra Nakhon, the old town district where the streets are narrow, the buildings are lived-in and the restaurants feel like they belong to the neighborhood rather than to a marketing campaign. The space has outdoor seating that faces the alley, which means dinner comes with a front-row seat to the foot traffic, the tuk-tuks and the colorful lights strung across the street. The menu covers Thai food, cocktails and beer with enough range to work as both a casual dinner and a late-night drink spot. The kitchen runs until midnight.

The 5.0-star rating across 128 Google reviews at ฿200-400 is a perfect score at a volume that tells you the experience is consistent. "Great cocktails, beer and food accompanied by very friendly service," one reviewer wrote. Another highlighted that "the staff know what gluten is and which products are gluten free," which is a detail that matters more than it sounds because gluten awareness in Thai restaurants is still rare. A third described it as "good for watching people walk past, nice colorful lights across the street." NORA is the kind of place where the atmosphere is built by the neighborhood rather than by interior design, and the food and drinks are good enough that you stay longer than you planned. The Samsen area is walkable from Khao San Road and accessible from Phra Athit pier.

→ See their menu and find them here ←

Insider tip: Sit outside for the full Samsen street atmosphere. The cocktails are strong for the price point, and the khao soi is quite good. Gluten-free options available. Opens daily, closes midnight.

📍 186 Samsen 2 Alley, Ban Phan Thom, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200
📞 095 862 7619
🕐 Open daily, closes midnight
⭐ 5.0 stars (128 Google reviews) | ฿200-400

Always check opening times before heading out.

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