Phichit, Thailand Flooding: Yom River Surges Early, August 2025

Long before dawn, the Yom River announced itself with a roar. Rolling out of Sukhothai and Phitsanulok with unusual speed, the water surged into Phichit and spilled past its banks, catching many residents mid-routine—boots half on, valuables halfway packed, and livestock tugged toward dry ground. What should have been a calm monsoon morning became a race against a river arriving early.

The first sign came yesterday, August 8, in Rang Nok subdistrict of Sam Ngam district—the natural gateway where the Yom enters Phichit. From there, the water follows a well-worn path: past Pho Prathap Chang, through Bueng Na Rang, into Pho Thale, and onward until it swells the Chao Phraya River in Nakhon Sawan. This year, that path feels faster and fuller, the river’s shoulders broadening by the hour.

By mid-morning, four districts in Phichit were seeing river levels climb with unnerving haste. In several low-lying pockets, the Yom didn’t bother to hover politely at the edge; it leapt, overtopping banks and curling into fields, lanes, and canals. For many households, the only option was swift triage: elevate what you can, protect what you can’t move, and help neighbors do the same.

Ask Jampee Singlor from Village 1, Baan Chorakhe Phom. With the water nipping at his ponds, he threw netting over his catfish like a fisherman guarding treasure. “Earlier and stronger than last year,” he said, eyes fixed on the brown current licking higher. In river country, you learn to read the water—its speed, its color, its intent. Jampee read urgency.

Behind the scenes, a perfect storm of bottlenecks has compounded the surge. Phitsanulok’s Bang Rakam Model fields—normally a vast, strategic sponge for excess water—weren’t ready to receive it; farmers are still bringing in their crops. The contingency plan to route more flow toward the Nan River ran into another wall: the Nan itself is running high. Meanwhile, Sirikit Dam has upped its discharge to around 40–50 million cubic meters per day, adding volume downstream and slowing drainage across the basin. Put simply, there’s more water than places to put it, and it’s moving faster than the usual playbook allows.

That’s why Phichit’s governor, Thaniya Naipinit, didn’t mince words. Residents along the Yom floodplain were urged to secure valuables in elevated, safe places, and to prepare for a sustained pulse of high water expected to pass through Phichit roughly between August 5 and 15, as reported by KhaoSod. Government agencies and local administrative bodies are on full alert, coordinating around the clock with emergency teams who stand ready to deliver supplies, assist with relocations, and protect livestock and property if waters rise further.

On the ground, that readiness looks like pickup trucks loaded with sandbags, tin boats idling at the edge of muddy sois, and volunteers counting households one more time before dusk. It’s the hum of radio chatter between districts—Sam Ngam to Pho Prathap Chang, Bueng Na Rang to Pho Thale—mapping weak points and safe corridors as the Yom breathes in and out. It’s also the stubborn hope of shopkeepers stacking goods above waist height, children ferrying stray chickens to dry coops, and aunties with ladles and hot curry feeding anyone who shows up wet and tired.

If you live or work near the Yom’s course, consider a few practical moves that make a real difference when hours count:

• Move essentials—IDs, medications, electronics, dry food—into waterproof containers and place them on the highest stable shelves.
• Cut power to low outlets if water nears floor level; keep extension cords and chargers off the ground.
• Secure livestock with raised platforms or temporary pens and lay extra netting over fish ponds, like Jampee did.
• Keep vehicles fueled and parked on higher ground; plot two evacuation routes in case one floods.
• Check on neighbors—especially the elderly and those with limited mobility—and share verified updates from local authorities.

For travelers crossing northern Thailand, monitor route advisories and rail updates. Detours can pop up quickly when rivers are on the move, and “only a little water” can become knee-deep faster than it looks. When in doubt, don’t drive through floodwater—currents can hide potholes, sinkholes, or downed lines, and a deceptively shallow sheet can still nudge a car off balance.

Nature, as always, writes its own schedule. The Yom River’s early rise is a reminder that water management is a choreography—dams, fields, channels, and communities moving together—and one missed step can ripple far downstream. With the Bang Rakam Model fields not yet open, the Nan River brimming, and Sirikit’s releases adding volume, Phichit is doing what river towns have done for generations: adapting in place, fast.

Still, there’s resilience in this rhythm. Farmers who know the floodplain like a second home. District teams who can guess which alley will fill first. Children who’ll recall this week years from now as the time everyone worked together and the water, eventually, went home. When the crest passes and the Yom settles back into its banks, there will be cleanup and counting—and, in true Thai fashion, the return of the ordinary: markets opening, tractors humming, fish nibbling at calm pond edges.

Until then, vigilance is the watchword. Keep valuables high, plans flexible, and attention tuned to official updates from Phichit’s authorities. The Yom River is on the move from Sukhothai and Phitsanulok toward Nakhon Sawan and the Chao Phraya—an old journey, running a little faster this year. With preparation, patience, and neighborly grit, Phichit will ride out the surge and greet the sunshine on the other side.