Flood risks loom as northern Vietnam faces 5 days of heavy rain

The agency said the five-day weather pattern is driven by a combination of a low-pressure trough and upper-level wind convergence.

From Sunday evening, mountainous and midland areas across the northern region were hit by scattered showers and thunderstorms, with rainfall ranging from 15 to 30 mm or exceeding 80 mm in some areas.

Lowland areas also experienced scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight.

Satellite imagery showed strong thunderstorm activity developing on Sunday evening over mountainous areas in northeastern provinces such as Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang, and Lang Son, with the system continuing to expand.

From Monday evening through Tuesday, heavy rain is forecast to intensify in both coverage and intensity.

Mountainous and midland areas are expected to see moderate to heavy rain and thunderstorms, with rainfall of 30–80 mm and localized totals exceeding 170 mm.

Lowland areas are expected to see scattered showers and thunderstorms, with some places experiencing heavy rain.

From Tuesday night through Wednesday, heavy rain may persist in mountainous and midland areas, with rainfall of 40–90 mm and some places exceeding 200 mm.

Lowland areas in northern Vietnam are expected to continue experiencing scattered showers and thunderstorms, with localized heavy rain in some locations.

Notably, the weather agency warned that on Monday and Tuesday nights, localized rainfall exceeding 100 mm within three hours could occur in northern localities, raising the risk of urban flooding, inundation in low-lying and industrial areas, as well as flash floods and landslides in mountainous regions.

Due to prolonged heavy rainfall, small rivers and upstream sections of major rivers in northern Vietnam may experience flooding from Monday to Wednesday, with water levels rising by up to four meters.

Peak flood levels on small rivers may reach alert levels 1 to 2 during this period.

From Thursday to Friday, northern Vietnam will continue to see scattered showers and thunderstorms, with localized heavy rain in some areas, while lowland areas are expected to experience only isolated showers, mainly in the evening and at night.

The prolonged rainfall will ease heat conditions in most of northern Vietnam from Monday, leaving hot weather mainly in the plains with peak temperatures of 35–36 degrees Celsius or higher in some places.

From Tuesday onward, the heatwave is expected to end across northern Vietnam, with more comfortable conditions likely to persist through Friday.

From around Saturday, rainfall is forecast to decrease, while widespread heat is expected to return to lowland areas.

In central Vietnam, hot weather is expected to persist on Monday, with temperatures ranging from 36 to 38 degrees Celsius and some areas exceeding 38 degrees.

From Tuesday through Friday, heat in the provinces from Thanh Hoa to Ha Tinh is expected to ease due to showers and thunderstorms.

Meanwhile, the areas from Quang Tri to Da Nang, as well as the eastern parts of Quang Ngai, are expected to continue experiencing prolonged hot weather in the coming days.