Rains to soak northern Vietnam till Tuesday

The north has been experiencing heavy rain over the past week, including 135 mm from 7 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday in parts of Lai Chau and Phu Tho provinces, and 120 mm in Tuyen Quang and Dien Bien over the same period.

Vu Anh Tuan, deputy head of the weather forecast department at the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said the main causes of the widespread rain were due to the strong activities of a low-pressure area, and the fact that high-altitude winds were continually providing moisture to the north-western region.

The low-pressure area will continue to exert its effects on northern Vietnam in the coming days, Tuan said.

According to Tuan, that means that until the end of Tuesday, northern Vietnam will continue to experience rains over a widespread area, mainly in the west and localities at the northern border.

During the weekends, the north will be soaked in rain levels of between 30-100 mm, while rain levels between 10-60 mm will be observed in the region from Sunday to Monday.

Weather forecast agencies also warned that in certain parts of Lai Chau, Son La, Dien Bien, Hoa Binh, Phu Tho, Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, the soil has become nearly saturated with rainwater, meaning risks of erosion is high.

Previously from August 1 to 4, the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention said heavy rains have damaged 102 houses in Lao Cai and Dien Bien, along with 135 ha of crops in the two regions. Around 8,300 m3 of land has also been eroded in the area.