This is the dramatic moment a rescue team saved a youngster stranded in floods in Southern Thailand.

Rescuers saved the hapless local clinging to a palm tree amidst the raging water in Ao Khanom, Nakhon Si Thammarat, on December 16.

Footage shows the man gripping the trunk of the tree while one of the officers, attached to a rope, swims toward him, while others wait to hoist the victim and the rescuer back to the shallow, muddy water.

Local media reported that a driver and two of his passengers were swept off the road by the flood as they navigated the streets.

After 10 minutes of a laborious rescue operation, the team successfully retrieved three individuals to safety and transported them to a nearby hospital for further treatment.

Authorities from the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Unit and the Public Health and Environment Division immediately responded upon discovering three residents holding onto the tree.

The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) raised a warning for 'heavy to very heavy' rainfall in the region from December 13 to 16. 

Nearby islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan were also affected.

The department said a strengthening northeast monsoon would prevail over the Gulf of Thailand and the south. A low-pressure cell over the lower southern region and Malaysia was forecasted to towards the Andaman Sea from December 13 to 15, causing even more rain.  

Strong winds were expected to churn waves up to 10ft in the Gulf.

Residents near waterways and low-lying areas were urged to be vigilant of flash floods.