Over 100 Vietnam temperature records broken in April

Three heat waves swept northwestern Vietnam and areas from Thanh Hoa to Phu Yen last month, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Heat waves boiled all of northern and central Vietnam during the April 26-April 30 period, with certain areas recording temperatures of up to 43 degrees.

Average temperatures in northern and central Vietnam were 2-4 degrees higher than during the same period over the last several year.

Other regions also recorded average temperatures 1-3 degrees higher than in previous periods.

Last year, the hottest month was May, when five heat waves broke 44 temperature records. This year, 39 records were broken on April 27 alone across several areas nationwide.

April 27 was the hottest day of the month.

In Hanoi, all five weather stations in the city observed record temperatures on April 27. A station in Son Tay, for example, had its April 27, 1998 record temperature of 37.8 degrees broken by this April 27's 40.4 degrees.

Also on April 27, temperatures at Ha Nam's Phu Ly station reached 41.8 degrees, the highest ever recorded since a weather station was installed in the area. This also broke a 1996 record by nearly three degrees.

In April, two stations recorded temperatures of 44 degrees: Nghe An's Tuong Duong recorded the high on April 30, and Quang Tri's Dong Ha recorded it on April 28. The mark was only slightly lower than Vietnam's highest temperature ever recorded: 44.2 degrees on May 7 last year.

Some 14 temperature records were also broken in southern Vietnam last month. On April 9, the previously highest temperature recorded in Dong Nai of 38.6 degrees was broken after 11 years, with temperatures rising to 39.5 degrees. On April 16, Binh Duong broke its previous temperature record set in 2016 by one degree with a temperature at 39.9 degrees.

Nguyen Van Huong, head of the weather forecast department under the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said abnormal heat waves in northern and central Vietnam were due to the impacts of low-pressure areas in the west, which resulted in Foehn winds. Other contributing factors include the impacts of El Nino and global warming.

Meteorologists have anticipated that temperatures across Vietnam in May will be 1.5-2.5 degrees higher than in previous years.

Low-pressure areas will continue to exert their effects in northern Vietnam and localities from Thanh Hoa to Phu Yen, according to scientists.

Heat waves are also expected to persist in the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam, with a focus on the first 20 days of May.