Chauk sits in Myanmar’s central dry zone, a region in the rain shadow of the Rakhine mountains that receives significantly less rainfall than the coastal delta, with most of what rain does fall arriving during the June-to-October monsoon.
In Magway Region, the town’s dry zone location means an unusually heavy monsoon storm can overwhelm drainage built for a much drier norm. Because the dry zone’s soil and drainage systems are built for a much drier norm, an unusually intense monsoon storm, or heavy rain combined with the seasonal rise of the Ayeyarwady and Chindwin rivers, can produce flooding well out of proportion to the region’s typical conditions, making radar useful for catching these less frequent but serious events. Learn more: Flash Flood Warning Signs on Radar · Open the full Rain Map