Mawlamyine sits in Myanmar’s low-lying delta and coastal regions along the Bay of Bengal, where the southwest monsoon from roughly May through October brings the vast majority of the country’s rainfall, and cyclones occasionally make landfall with devastating force.
On the Thanlwin (Salween) River near the Andaman Sea, the city faces combined river and coastal monsoon flood risk. Cyclone Nargis, which struck the Ayeyarwady Delta in 2008 and killed well over 100,000 people, remains the defining disaster for how catastrophic a direct cyclone strike combined with storm surge can be on this low-lying coast, and radar tracking of approaching systems is essential given how little warning time the flat delta terrain allows. Learn more: Hurricane Season Radar Guide · Open the full Rain Map