BANGKOK,Thailand- The flood situation in two southern provinces was returning to normal as the monsoon rain has stopped, allowing evacuees to start returning home, The Nation newspaper reported on Thursday.

Flood waters were receding in many areas in Songkhla and Narathiwat provinces, especially areas along the Sungai Kolok River. The water level of vast areas was rececding. Residents of Narathiwat's Waeng district were moving back home.

In Songkhla, only low-lying areas around Songkhla Lake were still submerged.

Relief officials said the situation was expected to return to normal if there were no more rain for two more days.

The provincial relief agency said two people drowned and 10 out of all 16 districts were declared disaster zones, where about 63, 000 people in 462 villages have been affected, including about 500 who were evacuated.

Meanwhile the regional weather bureau predicted that heavy rain would likely to pelt the gulf of Thailand coast, along with a possible storm, from Thursday to Sunday. It called on residents to watch out for flash floods and fishing trawlers to avoid setting out to sea because of high swells.

The country's worst floods, caused by heavy monsoon and overflow from several dams across the country, in nearly 60 years has claimed more than 600 lives and affected about 10 million people since mid July.