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Thaierne fryser det er koldt nu '' træerne springer ud med rimfrost blomster
Temperatures have been dropping in many regions across the country, with some northern areas already hit by a cold spell.
The Meteorological Department yesterday urged people to take extra care of their health as weather conditions were changing.
"It's just between 4 and 10 degrees Celsius on mountaintops," it said.
According to the weather bureau, the mercury dropped by between 1-3 degrees in the North, Northeast, East and Central regions yesterday under the influence of a high-pressure ridge hovering over the upper part of the country.
In Bangkok and its vicinity, the lowest temperatures were 19-20 degrees.
While the cold weather is proving a welcome relief for many and has even stimulated tourism, it is posing a health threat to people who lack adequate warm clothes.
In Chon Buri's Sattahip district, for example, a 13-year-old boy blamed his mother's death on the chill.
"It's very cold at night," the boy said tearfully. "We don't have enough blankets."
His 49-year-old mother, Suna Jandadan, died in their shack. Her body lay stiff on the floor when police arrived. The mercury dropped to around 19 degrees in Sattahip.
In Sakhon Nakhon, the lowest temperature was 12 degrees and a large number of locals needed treatment for respiratory disorders.
In Nakhon Phanom, officials were closely monitoring the health of dogs at the provincial animal-quarantine station after canine distemper started to spread amid the cold weather.
"We have now vaccinated them. Some 40 dogs are being housed separately," an official said.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department yesterday declared seven districts as cold-spell zones. They are Omkoi, Samoeng, Chom Thong, Fang, Galyani Vadhana and Mae Ai in Chiang Mai and Pang Mapha in Mae Hong Son.
Meanwhile, farmers in Phitsanulok's Bang Rakam district expressed concern about imminent drought in their area.
"The water level in the Yom River has been dropping fast," said Samlee Jaemdee, 50.
She has now dug a 3-metre-deep artesian well in the hope of storing water for her paddy fields.
A cold spell is believed to have caused the death of a widow in Chon Buri and a man in Trat yesterday, while Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son have been declared disaster zones as temperatures plunge in the provinces.
Suna Chandadal, 49, was found dead inside a makeshift house at a coconut planation in Chon Buri's Sattahip district yesterday, with her 13-year-old son crying and hugging her body.
The boy, identified only as Ae, told police that his mother woke up early yesterday and had a cough as the weather was very cold. She died later in the morning, Ae said.
The boy and his mother lived on a land plot of a local leader after his father died from a chronic illness last year.
In Trat, Narinsak Khamwisut, 36, was found dead inside his house in tambon Wang Krajae in Muang district about 11.30am. He was believed to have died four to five hours before his body was found by his mother Wandee Chana-in. There were no traces of a struggle.
Witnesses said the victim had been drinking with friends in front of his house before he went to bed at 10pm. The victim fell asleep in his shorts without covering up with a blanket.
Police suspected a heart failure or cold weather might caused his death.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation yesterday declared Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces disaster zones as residents in more than 400 villages have been affected by cold spells.