BANGKOK, Thailand -, marine and environmental expert Dr. Thon Thamrongnawasawat issued a warning on his Facebook page on September 7, cautioning against leaving homes during a Category 5 typhoon. Dr. Thon, a professor at the Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University, highlighted the dangerous calm that occurs in the eye of the storm, urging the public to remain indoors despite the temporary stillness.
In his post, he explained that during severe typhoons, such as Typhoon Yagi, winds can reach extreme speeds before suddenly calming. People unfamiliar with this phenomenon may mistakenly believe the storm has passed. However, the calm is brief, and the winds return with even greater intensity.
“The center of a storm, known as the ‘eye,’ is where the winds are the calmest, surrounded by a wall of clouds and fierce winds. When the winds stop and the sky clears, you may be in the eye of the storm, but the danger is far from over,” Dr. Thon warned, referencing past events such as Typhoon Gay in Chumphon, which caught residents off guard during the eye’s calm.
Dr. Thon also emphasized the risks at sea, where the eye of a storm creates waves from multiple directions, resulting in rogue waves up to 40 meters high. He cautioned that while the sky may clear, waves remain dangerous during this period.
He concluded by urging the public to take action against climate change, as rising global temperatures will lead to stronger and more frequent storms. “We may not be able to stop these storms, but we can slow them down by protecting our environment and reducing global warming,” he said, advocating for the preservation of natural landscapes as a defense against increasingly destructive storms.
