Saigon braces for successive heat waves

By Ha An March 8, 2021 | 04:34 pm PT

A man stops to drink free iced water by the sidewalk of Nguyen Thai Hoc Street in HCMC, March 4, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

Outdoor temperatures in HCMC could rise up to 38 degrees Celsius in the coming days, with the impacts of a subtropical high pressure block exacerbated by concrete buildings.

According to the Hydro-meteorological Observatory for the Southern Region, the subtropical high pressure block will remain stable starting March 12 and deliver a string of scorching days all over southern Vietnam.

In HCMC, the mercury could rise to 36 degrees Celsius, but with too many concrete buildings, the outdoor temperature could be as high as 38 degrees Celsius.

Last week, the city also experienced hot days with temperatures rising to more than 35 degrees Celsius and UV levels at a hazardous 10.

Le Dinh Quyet, deputy head of the center’s forecasting office, said that mid March could also see the southern region receive some off-season rain, but the volume of rainfall would not be significant and the heat waves cannot be avoided.

The entire southern region is still in its dry season, which normally lasts from late November to May.

In April and May, it will get hotter in the south, with temperatures in HCMC rising up to 38-39 degrees Celsius, Quyet said.