New cold wave to plunge northern Vietnam temperatures down by 10 degrees

Thick layers of fog began to appear over northern Vietnam Tuesday morning due to moisture from the sea being brought in by the winds from the southeast. As noon arrived, temperatures in Hanoi rose to 32 degrees.

But a mass of cold air is expected to arrive in mountainous regions in the north starting Wednesday afternoon, before reaching other parts of northern Vietnam, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. The plains and the midlands would record the lowest temperatures at 15-18 degrees, while temperatures would be at 10-15 degrees for the mountains.

A motorcyclist in thick coats on Hanoi street in January 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

U.S. weather forecast service AccuWeather said Hanoi’s temperatures on Wednesday would decrease by 4 degrees compared to Tuesday, from 21-32 degrees to 18-28 degrees. Over the coming days, temperatures at the capital would continue to drop due to the impacts of cold air, to 14-17 degrees by Saturday. High-altitude locations like Lao Cai’s Sa Pa would record temperatures at 11-15 degrees.

North-central regions would also feel the brunt of the mass of cold air starting Wednesday night, with temperatures plunging down to 16-19 degrees at the lowest.

Nguyen Ngoc Huy, a meteorologist, said weather patterns in the north would alternate between hot and cold this month. Elderly people, children and those with respiratory diseases should monitor weather forecast to take preventive measures.

Northern Vietnam has gone through a severe cold period from Feb. 24 to March 3. Experts said the long-lasting cold wave was rare, with the latest cold wave lasting this long within the period was from 20 years ago.