Cold air settles over northern Vietnam

By Gia Chinh   January 14, 2023 | 01:11 am PT
Cold air settles over northern Vietnam
Frost on top of Mount Fansipan, the highest peak in Indochina, on January 6, 2023. Photo by Lan Huong
Temperatures in the northern mountainous regions of Vietnam are forecasted to drop to below 3 degrees Celsius as strong and cold air descends on the area starting Sunday.

The midlands and plains will see temperatures fall to 9-11 degrees Celsius, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Northern Vietnam will see temperatures hovering around 16-19 degrees Celsius between January 16-19, with with an average daily temperatures of 15 degrees Celsius or less.

High mountain regions are likely to get frost and snow, the center said.

Temperature will rise slightly during the first few days of the Lunar New Year holiday, from Sunday next week, before falling again due to an intensifying cold air.

U.S. weather forecaster AccuWeather said that Hanoi's temperatures would be between 18-30 degrees Celsius on Saturday, 11-21 degrees Celsius on Sunday, 10-15 degrees Celsius early next week, and 12 to 22 degrees Celsius by the end of the week.

Mountainous regions like Sa Pa in Lao Cai Province, which is 1,500 m above sea level, will have temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius during the day and below 4 degrees Celsius at night next week. On average, the temperature will drop by 0.6 degrees Celsius for every 100 meters. This means that the high peaks of Mau Son in Lang Son Province or Dong Van in Ha Giang Province could look icy and snowy.

Cold air will also hit north-central provinces on Sunday, with temperatures between 11-17 degrees Celsius.

In the first few months of 2023, the country's temperature is expected to be about the same as the average for the past few years.

However, the last few months of the year are expected to be warmer. The scorching weather will be even worse than it was in 2022. Heat waves will appear from April to August in the north and north-central regions.

 
 
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