Satellite images show how far floodwaters have spread across Thailand in recent weeks. September is the middle of Thailand's monsoon season, when afternoon storms are normal. But in late September and early October 2026, persistent heavy rain left low-lying areas under water for days. NASA's Earth Observatory published two Landsat images of Prachin Buri province. One shows the Bang Pakong River on October 2, 2026, with farmland and fish ponds flooded. The other shows the same area a year earlier.
The images use false color to separate water from vegetation, built-up land, and other surfaces. Floodwater appears dark blue, and bright red shapes mark floating solar panels. Part of the flooding likely came from a low-pressure system that stalled above the region for days. Moisture and energy from the warm Gulf of Thailand fed the system, producing intense rain. Bangkok, about 100 kilometers west, got nearly 300 millimeters of rain within 48 hours, close to its average for the whole of September. Heavy rain since mid-September has affected millions of people across the country.