ศาลาชุมนุม

[Tgeezer]

ลมเปลี่ยนทิศ ทำให้พายุหมุนลูกดังกล่าวมุ่งหน้าออกทะเลลึก และหายไปในที่สุดโดยใช้เวลากว่า 30 นาที

โดยใช้เวลากว่า 30 นาที = It took the new wind direction over 30 minutes
ลมเปลี่ยนทิศ = (the new wind direction)
ทำให้= to cause
พายุหมุนลูกดังกล่าว = the storm
มุ่งหน้าออกทะเลลึก = to head the (deep) sea
และ = and
หายไปในที่สุด= (to) disappear

We each understand differently, my point was; who cares how long it took to not affect Pattaya?
It didn't come on land; the reporter saw it or knew it was there, so over 30 minutes lets the reader judge what level of anxiety would have been created by the threat, and thus judge the importance of the report.
I think as a tradesman, there may be other ways of interpreting it. I needed to know why 30 minutes was mentioned if this were not in a textbook on the characteristics of the weather.

[pensive]

It is nevertheless instructive to see how a Thai interprets it. From what Khun Pirin wrote, I understand that:

(The change in the wind direction caused the storm to head out to sea and disappear) all in the course of more than 30 minutes.

I think the hardest part is seeing how the โดย phrase refers to all that has gone before. (Perhaps this is why โดย is the only true preposition in Thai?)

[Tgeezer]

It is nevertheless instructive to see how a Thai interprets it. From what Khun Pirin wrote, I understand that:

(The change in the wind direction caused the storm to head out to sea and disappear) all in the course of more than 30 minutes.

I think the hardest part is seeing how the โดย phrase refers to all that has gone before. (Perhaps this is why โดย is the only true preposition in Thai?)

I am tempted to look up preposition but I think I would rather not know; a word which comes before another word is good enough for me.
โดย definitely is a บุพบท น. คําชนิดหนึ่งในไวยากรณ์ ทําหน้าที่เชื่อมคําต่อคํา อยู่หน้านาม สรรพนาม หรือกริยา มีคําว่า ด้วย โดย ใน เป็นต้น เช่น เขียนด้วย ดินสอ หนังสือของฉัน กินเพื่ออยู่. According to the RID โดย has only one role, that of บุพบท, whereas the alternative words have other roles. I would say that โดย is not in its role here, because it seems to precede more than one word; should this be a สันธาร like ด้วย instead?
However, just as in English, one could debate it, there will be many opinions and each would probably be as good as the other.

What is กว่า บพบท I have assumed which is why เลยไป พ้นไป but if I could contrive to make it a สันธาน we would have less than 30 minutes but. กว่าใช้เวลา 30 นาที would be less than, I should think.
Maybe a grammar expert will chip in, begging your presence, of course.