Storm Ragasa weakens into tropical depression near northern Vietnam

Vietnam's National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF) reported that the system had weakened into a tropical depression with winds of 50–61 kph at 10 a.m. Thursday, when it was about 40 km east of Mong Cai Town in northern Quang Ninh Province.

Satellite image of Ragasa at 10 a.m. on Sept. 25, 2025. Photo by Vietnam's National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting

Authorities in Quang Ninh, home to Ha Long Bay, and nearby localities including Hung Yen, Hai Phong, and Nghe An have banned vessels from going to sea.

Six wards in Mong Cai and several communes and wards in Hai Phong City have closed schools Thursday to ensure student safety.

Vietnam Airlines and several other carriers have adjusted multiple flights at the airports of Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong, and Da Nang.

Under the tropical depression's influence, the northern region—including Hanoi, Quang Ninh, and Hai Phong—as well as the north-central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An will see heavy rain from Thursday afternoon through late Friday night, totaling 80–180 mm, with some locations expected to exceed 300 mm.

A truck is seen lying on its side after the passing of Typhoon Ragasa in Yangjiang, southern China’s Guangdong Province on Sept. 24, 2025. Photo by AFP

Ragasa is the ninth storm in the East Sea (South China Sea) this year. It formed on Sept. 18 from a tropical depression off the Philippines.

Three days later, it intensified by eight levels into a super typhoon, by far the most powerful typhoon in the world this year, surpassing Typhoon Yagi in 2024 to become the strongest storm in the East Sea in the past 70 years.. By Monday evening, when it entered the East Sea, it peaked with maximum winds of 221 kph.

On Tuesday, Ragasa swept through Taiwan, breaching a reservoir on the Matai'an Creek in Hualien County. Floodwaters carrying soil and rocks rushed downstream, washing away a bridge and inundating many towns, submerging houses and sweeping away vehicles.

So far, 17 people have been confirmed dead while 17 others are missing due to the floods, according to AP.

In the northern Philippines, seven fishermen drowned after their boat was battered by huge waves and fierce winds and capsized on Monday off Santa Ana Town in northern Cagayan Province.

At least three other people died in the region, and five fishermen remain missing, provincial officials said, according to the report.

At the same time, Typhoon Bualoi strengthened by four levels on Thursday morning, just one day after forming east of the Philippines, and is forecast to enter the East Sea on Friday night with the potential to intensify further.