Record high temperature set in Vietnam

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said that the temperature at the Hoi Xuan monitoring station exceeded the record of 43.3 degrees Celsius set on April 20, 2019, in Huong Khe District of Ha Tinh Province.

The temperature at Lac Son monitoring station in Hoa Binh Province and some areas in Nghe An Province on Saturday also went above 43 degrees.

Seventeen other provinces in the north and central regions reached over 40 degrees Celsius, including Quang Tri, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Ninh Binh, Quang Binh and Phu Yen. Hanoi had two areas that crossed 40 degrees Celsius.

The remaining provinces were between 35-39 degrees Celsius.

Nguyen Van Huong, head of weather forecasting at the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said this could be the strongest large-scale heat wave in May, caused by the double impact of a hot wave to the west and the Foehn wind effect.

Currently, a cold wave is moving north, weakening the hot front from the west. The heat in north and central will reduce from Sunday.

The northern delta will be around 35-37 degrees, the northwest and central will drop by about 2-3 degrees, with the highest temperature at 39 degrees. The heatwave will be over from next week.

The meteorological agency warned that hot weather and low humidity (only 30-50%) increased the risk of fire and explosion due to increased electricity demand, as well as forest fires.

In addition, hot weather can also cause dehydration, exhaustion and heat stroke.

It is forecast that in May, the country's temperature will be 0.5-1 degrees Celsius higher than the average for many years, especially in the northwest, when the temperature will be 1.5 degrees higher.

North and central regions will get hotter and see fewer storms due to the impact of El Nino, a recurring climate pattern caused by changes in water temperature in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.