Tropical depression to hit central Vietnam, may become storm

The tropical depression, formed on the South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea, was about 500 km from Quang Nam, 520 km from Quang Ngai, and 420 km from Binh Dinh provinces to the east as of 4 p.m. Saturday, with a maximum wind speed of 60 kph, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Within the next 12 hours, the tropical depression may evolve into a storm and move west-northwest at 15-20 kph. By 4 a.m. Sunday, the future storm is expected to be right above coastal areas from Quang Nam to Binh Dinh, with a maximum wind speed of 75 kph.

The center forecasts it would continue to move west at 10-15 kph, making landfall in central Vietnam from Quang Nam to Binh Dinh, before devolving back into a tropical depression by 4 p.m. Sunday.

The tropical depression is expected to cause strong winds and rough seas in several sea regions from Quang Nam to Binh Dinh on Sunday. Combined with monsoon winds, strong winds and rough seas should also be expected in the Gulf of Tonkin and sea areas from Quang Tri to Da Nang.

Heavy rain is expected in central Vietnam from Sunday to Tuesday, with total rainfall of up to 1,000 mm in localities from Thua Thien-Hue to Quang Nam, up to 600 mm in Quang Tri and Quang Ngai, up to 500 mm in Quang Binh, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen, and up to 300 mm in southern areas of Ha Tinh, and northern areas of the Central Highlands. Rainfall of 180 mm a day is considered heavy.

The tropical depression originated from an intertropical convergence zone from the Bay of Bengal to the Philippines, which was responsible for heavy rains and floods in central Vietnam since Tuesday, killing at least five and flooding around 33,400 homes.

Natural disasters, mostly floods and landslides triggered by storms, killed 132 people and injured 207 others in Vietnam last year.

Storm Noul, the fifth tropical storm this year in the East Sea, killed six people last month.