Typhoon season has landed with a bang, and the second typhoon of the year reportedly entered the South China Sea this morning.
Typhoon Nida is expected to make landfall in Hong Kong tomorrow. As of 8 a.m. this morning, the tropical storm, upgraded from a low pressure system, was about 560 kilometers from Hong Kong to the southeast, carrying gusts of wind blowing up to 120 kilometers per hour.
Vietnam's national weather forecasting agency predicts that Nida will move west-northwest at a speed of 25 kilometer per hour and continue to strengthen. At 7 a.m. Tuesday, the typhoon is expected to arrive in Macau and reach Guangxi Province (China) on August 3.
International forecasting stations in Hong Kong and the U.S. have also made similar predictions.
Vietnam's border guard forces have been instructed to inform offshore vessels of the storm's path.
On July 26, Typhoon Mirinae formed in the South China Sea, known in Vietnam as the East Sea, and made landfall in northern Vietnam, triggering heavy rains accompanied by gale-force winds.
Although it was not regarded as a strong typhoon, Mirinae caused significant damage in Vietnam, leaving a trail of destruction in Hanoi and the northern provinces of Nam Dinh,Thanh Hoa, Ha Nam and Ninh Binh.
Here are some photos of the aftermath.
Hanoi is still recovering from the first typhoon, with hundreds of fallen trees, ripped up sidewalks and electricity pylons still waiting to be repaired five days after Mirinae rolled through northern Vietnam. |
Outside Thong Nhat Park in Dong Da District, many large trees were uprooted by strong winds, causing them to crush fences. |
A milk pine tree was sawed into smaller chunks on Hang Trong Street near Hoan Kiem Lake. |
Mirinae surprised many local people by the extensive damage it caused: three people were killed, four are missing and over 1000 trees fell. |
An old tree ripped up the new sidewalk on Hang Cot Street (Hoan Kiem District) as it fell. |
Twigs and leaves are still lying on the sidewalk of Phan Dinh Phung Street (Ba Dinh District). |
A toppled tree in Hang Dau flower garden, Hoan Kiem District. |
This 80-centimeter in diameter African mahogany tree fell on Tran Nhan Tong Street (Hai Ba Trung District). |
On July 31, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited Nam Dinh, one of the provinces most severely affected by Typhoon Mirinae, to direct local authorities on storm recovery efforts. |
Leaders of Nam Dinh and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said the forecast of the storm's magnitude had been miscalculated, resulting in inadequate preparations by local authorities. |
Forecasts said the storm would last for only 1-2 hours, but ended up raging for 5-7 hours. Gales in coastal areas and city centers were also much stronger than expected. PM Phuc has ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting to learn from the experience. |
Related news:
> After Mirinae, another typhoon brews over South China Sea
> Hanoi issues flood alert as Typhoon Mirinae pounds northern Vietnam
> 2 dead, 1 missing as typhoon-triggered downpours punish northern Vietnam