Tropical storm to hit central Vietnam Thursday afternoon

By Gia Chinh September 18, 2024 | 04:52 pm PT

A tropical depression strengthened into a storm early on Thursday morning, packing winds of 74 km per hour, and is forecast to hit Quang Tri and Quang Binh provinces in central Vietnam in the afternoon.

The storm lay centered 190 km from Quang Tri and its northern neighbor Quang Binh, home to world's largest cave Son Doong, at 7 a.m., according to the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting.

It is expected to move west and enter the waters of Quang Binh and Quang Tri between 2-5 p.m. Thursday, maintaining its winds, before moving into Laos and weakening into a tropical depression zone on Friday morning.

The Hong Kong Observatory forecast the storm to hit Quang Tri, while the Japan Meteorological Agency said it will make landfall in the area between Quang Tri and its southern neighbor Thua Thien Hue Province, with 65 kph winds.

The forecast route of a tropical storm towards central Vietnam. Photo by Vietnam Disasters Monitoring System

The storm, which has not been named yet, is the fourth to develop in the East Sea this year. It comes as Vietnam is still recovering from the devastation of typhoon Yagi, which hit northern Vietnam on Sept. 7 and has claimed at least 298 lives, leaving 35 others missing and causing damage worth around VND50 trillion (US$2 billion).

As the storm approaches, the northwestern area of the East Sea, including the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands, and the coastal waters from Nghe An to Quang Ngai, are experiencing winds of 24-61 kph, with waves reaching 2-4 meters. Closer to the storm's center, winds have intensified to 62-74 kph, and waves as high as 3-5 meters.

Starting Thursday morning, coastal areas from Ha Tinh to Quang Nam have faced increasing winds. Residents have been urged to be cautious of strong thunderstorms preceding the storm’s circulation, which could uproot trees, blow off roofs, and damage billboards.

Over Thursday and Friday, Vietnam's central region is expected to receive widespread rainfall between 100-300 mm, and over 500 mm in some places. Intense rainfall of over 150 mm within six hours is predicted in areas from Quang Tri to Da Nang on Thursday. The Central Highlands and southern regions are forecast to experience 20-40 mm of rain, with some areas seeing over 70 mm. The heavy rain is likely to lead to urban flooding in densely populated areas due to inadequate drainage.

In response to the storm, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has suspended flights at Dong Hoi Airport in Quang Binh Province, home to world's largest cave Son Doong, from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Thursday.

In Da Nang, schools have been closed from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday, while in Quang Nam, students from preschool to grade 12 have been given the day off.