Northern, central regions to get respite from hot spell this week

Temperatures of 38-41 degrees Celsius were recorded in many northern localities last week. Hanoi's Ha Dong station reported a maximum of 41 degrees on May 18, the highest ever in May in the 30 years since it was set up, while feels-like temperatures reached 49-50 degrees on certain days.

But the weather is expected to cool down somewhat this week, with the cold mass expected to also bring 20-40 millimeters of rain and hail to many places in the north, and even 60 millimeters in some.

In Hanoi, the temperature will peak at 39 degrees Monday but fall sharply to 31 degrees Tuesday before again rising to up to 38 degrees by weekend, according to AccuWeather.

In Sa Pa town, the temperatures will be 17-24 degrees.