Vietnam’s central part to face prolonged heavy rain, northern region to turn colder

The weather agency reported that a strengthening northeast monsoon is already affecting the northern region, with Bach Long Vi Station recording winds at 29-38 kph and brief gusts at 50-61 kph.

From Wednesday night to Saturday, northern provinces, along with Thanh Hoa and Nghe An Provinces, will experience sunny days with little cloud cover, though night-time temperatures will drop sharply.

Lows are forecast between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius in the delta and below 13 degrees Celsius in some northern mountainous areas.

Weather could turn chilly at night and early morning, with severe cold possible in high elevations.

Nguyen Van Huong, head of the weather forecasting division at the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said the northern and north-central regions may experience a stronger cold surge between November 16 and 21, sending temperatures down across the north and north-central provinces from Thanh Hoa to Ha Tinh.

Frost may form in several high-mountain areas.

At sea, the northern East Vietnam Sea, including Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) Special Zone, will possibly see northeast winds reaching 50-78 kph with gusts up to 100 kph, creating waves of three to five meters and rough conditions.

Similar hazardous winds are likely over the Gulf of Tonkin, where waves may reach 2.5-3.5 meters.

Heavy rain is also expected to develop over central and Central Highlands provinces.

Starting from Saturday night, a combination of strong cold air and upper-level easterly winds is likely to bring widespread downpours from Quang Tri to Khanh Hoa Provinces.

The heaviest rainfall is forecast in Hue to Da Nang City, eastern Quang Ngai Province, and parts of Gia Lai Province, with the wet weather potentially lasting several days.

As for storm Fung Wong, the 14th to hit the East Vietnam Sea this year, it has moved away from the region, the national weather forecaster announced.

At 4:00 pm on Wednesday, the storm’s center was located near southwestern Taiwan with winds at 62-74 kph and gusts at 89-102 kph.

The storm is expected to continue tracking northeast at 20-25 kph, weakening into a tropical depression and then a low-pressure area.

It is no longer expected to affect Vietnam’s mainland.