Storm Nongfa heads toward central Vietnam, heavy rains expected

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, at 7:00 am on Saturday, Nongfa’s center was located over the waters from Ha Tinh to Hue City, about 210 kilometers east of northern Quang Tri.

Nongfa was traveling west-northwest at 20 kilometers per hour, packing maximum sustained winds near its center at level 8 (62-74 kph) on the Beaufort scale, with gusts up to level 10 (89-102 kph).

The storm was named by Laos after a lake in the country.

Within the next 12 hours, the system may continue to track on a west-northwest path at around 20 kph, making landfall in Ha Tinh to northern Quang Tri before weakening as it moves into Laos.

Strong winds, heavy downpours forecast

From noon on Saturday, central coastal areas from Nghe An to Quang Tri will possibly see winds increasing to level 6 (39-49 kph), gusting level 8.

Coastal Ha Tinh to northern Quang Tri may face winds of level 6-7 (39-61 kph), with areas near the storm center reaching level 8, gusting 10 (89-102 kph).

Rainfall has already intensified.

Between 7:00 pm on Friday and 3:00 am on Saturday, some weather stations reported totals exceeding 130mm, including Nghe An’s Cho Trang with 134mm and Ha Tinh’s Huong Quang with 160mm.

From Saturday through Sunday, Thanh Hoa Province to Hue City is forecast to receive 150-300mm of rain, with some locations exceeding 500mm.

Da Nang may see 40-90mm, locally over 150mm.

Northern midlands and the Red River Delta are predicted to receive 100-200mm, locally over 400mm.

Elsewhere, northern provinces, the Central Highlands, and southern Vietnam will also experience scattered thunderstorms and rainfall of 20-40mm on average, with some places exceeding 100mm.

Provinces from Quang Ngai to Lam Dong may see precipitation of 10-30mm, locally over 80mm.

The national weather agency warns of extreme rainfall intensity, over 150mm in three hours in some areas, with high risks of whirlwinds, lightning, hail, and squalls.