Northern Vietnam to experience cold snap starting Saturday night

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has announced this shift, noting that mountainous areas in the north will face severe cold, with average daily temperatures expected to fall to 15 degrees Celsius or lower. Temperatures will generally range from 11-14 degrees, with those in mountainous regions dropping to 8-10 degrees, and certain high-altitude areas may experience temperatures below 6 degrees Celsius.

Accuweather reports that Hanoi’s temperatures tomorrow will vary between 15-22 degrees Celsius, but will cool down to 13-18 degrees at the beginning of next week. In higher elevations above 1,500 meters, such as Sa Pa town in Lao Cai Province, temperatures on Feb. 4 are forecasted to be between 6-10 degrees Celsius.

Northern Vietnam will also see light rain Saturday night and Sunday morning, clearing up by Feb. 4. From Feb. 5-8, as the cold air gradually moves eastward, northeast to east winds will bring moisture, causing typical early spring drizzle in the Northeast region and Hoa Binh Province.

People go to a peach blossom garden in Hanoi to pick branches for Tet decoration on Jan. 24, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

Saturday morning saw drizzle and fog in the region due to weakened cold air moving eastward and moist southeast winds. By approximately 9 a.m., the rain ceased, and the sun emerged, with temperatures reaching up to 24 degrees Celsius.

From Feb. 3-4, the cold air will also impact Central Vietnam, from Thanh Hoa Province to Hue Province, resulting in cloudy skies and rainfall, with minimum temperatures ranging from 14-17 degrees Celsius. As the cold air lessens, light rain will continue in the early mornings and nights from Feb. 5-8 in the provinces from Thanh Hoa to Ha Tinh.

Next week, weather in Southern Vietnam and the Central Highlands is expected to remain stable, with dry nights and sunny days. Maximum daytime temperatures will be between 28-31 degrees in the Central Highlands and 32-34 degrees in Southern Vietnam. The Southeast region will face localized heat, with maximum daytime temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius.

In January, Northern Vietnam experienced three cold air surges on Jan. 9, 14, and 26, with the latest cold spell starting on Jan. 26 bringing severe cold to Northern and North Central Vietnam and even snowfall in parts of Ha Giang and Lao Cai provinces.

Meteorological agencies predict that in February, temperatures across the country will be close to the long-term average for this period, with the North and North Central regions being 0.5-1 degrees Celsius warmer. The latter half of February may see more active cold air. Central Vietnam might experience scattered rain showers and possible thunderstorms on some days.