Tropical storm Wipha forms, likely to enter East Vietnam Sea as storm No. 3

At 7:00 am on Friday, storm Wipha was centered over the eastern waters off Luzon Island in the Philippines, packing maximum sustained winds of level 8 (62-74 kph) on the Beaufort scale, with gusts up to level 10 (89-102 kph).

Over the next 24 hours, Wipha is forecast to move northwest at around 20-25 kph and may continue gaining strength, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said.

By 7:00 am on Saturday, it is expected to enter the East Vietnam Sea and intensify further, potentially becoming the third storm to hit Vietnam this year, with wind speeds increasing to level 8-9 (62-88 kph), gusting to level 11.

By early Sunday morning, Wipha could reach the northern part of the East Vietnam Sea, about 590km east of China’s Leizhou Peninsula, with sustained winds of level 10 (89-102 kph), gusting to level 12 (118-133 kph).

The storm is predicted to continue on this path and strengthen.

By early Monday next week, Wipha may be located east of the Leizhou Peninsula, reaching level 11-12 (103-133 kph), gusting to level 15 (167-183 kph).

Later that day, it may graze northern Leizhou and move along the northern coast of the Gulf of Tonkin, heading toward Mong Cai in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam.

By Tuesday next week, Wipha’s center could be near the border between China’s Guangxi and Vietnam’s Mong Cai, still at level 11 (103-117 kph).

The storm is anticipated to weaken gradually as it moves inland across northern Vietnam.

Due to the impact of Wipha, from Friday afternoon, the eastern waters of the northern East Vietnam Sea will see strong winds at level 6-7 (39-61 kph), gusting to level 11 (103-117 kph), with wave heights of 3.0-5.0 meters.

Vessels in affected areas should brace for thunderstorms, squalls, and rough seas.