Introducing Natthawut Dandi, the new Director-General of the Meteorological Department, who was asked by Prime Minister Anutin during a water situation meeting where the director-general was, as the previous director had already retired.
As expected, the position of Director-General of the Meteorological Department was filled following the Cabinet's resolution on 14 October 2026 approving the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society's proposal to appoint Mr. Natthawut Dandi, Deputy Director-General of the Meteorological Department (junior executive), to serve as Director-General (senior executive). This appointment fills the vacancy left by the previous director's retirement. It coincided with severe flooding in Thailand affecting the Chao Phraya, Tha Chin, Bang Pakong, and Prasae river basins. Bangkok, the economic center, experienced deep flooding, including parts of Ramkhamhaeng University submerged up to two meters, despite no storms but only a low-pressure trough causing continuous rain.
Mr. Natthawut Dandi, the latest Director-General of the Meteorological Department, graduated in Physics from Ramkhamhaeng University in 1996 and earned an advanced meteorology certificate in 1997. He is a civil servant who has grown directly within the department, with nearly 30 years of service and expertise in aviation meteorology, earthquake monitoring, regional meteorological management, and driving digital data initiatives (DCIO) to enhance national weather forecasting and warning systems.
Mr. Natthawut has played a key role in integrating data from the Meteorological Department, space technology, water resources, big data, and the country's warning systems.
He has published three notable academic works related to meteorology: “Development Approaches for Thailand’s Earthquake Monitoring System,” “Application of Google Earth Program for Monitoring and Warning of Severe Weather,” and “Rainfall Estimation Using Lightning Data.”
His vision for meteorological development is to “Elevate development towards a digital organization.” His mission in digital meteorology development covers five areas:
His digital meteorology development strategy comprises four areas:
At a meeting of the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command (NDPMC) at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation to prepare for heavy rain on 3 October 2026, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul asked about the whereabouts of the Director-General of the Meteorological Department. At that time, Mr. Natthawut Dandi, Deputy Director-General acting as the interim Director-General, replied, “The Director-General retired on 30 September, and I am currently acting in that role.”
The Prime Minister added, “Okay, thank you very much. I thought you weren’t here. There was a bit of criticism regarding warnings from the Meteorological Department, but we do not blame anyone. We are working together as one team. The responsibility for disseminating information is covered by this command center, which helps reduce pressure on the Meteorological Department. It must be explained that weather forecasting may not always be 100% accurate. If we understand this, it will improve communication effectiveness to the public. I appreciate the acting Director-General for being present.”
This follows Ms. Sukanyanee Yawinyacharn's retirement as Director-General of the Meteorological Department at the end of September 2026, prompting Mr. Natthawut, then Deputy Director-General, to act as interim director. Recently, Mr. Chaiyachonkit Chidchob, Minister of Digital Economy and Society, proposed his appointment as the new Director-General at a Cabinet meeting.