You can't predict the weather: Saigon soaked in surprise downpour

By VnExpress October 2, 2016 | 09:06 pm PT

Weather forecasters got it wrong, making it doubly annoying for residents.

Ho Chi Minh City entered the new working week with hours of rain on Monday morning, frustrating many people who were told it would pour over a weekend that remained perfectly dry.

The rain started after midnight and became heavier all over the city, making it difficult for people going to get to work and school. It only ceased after eight hours at 10 a.m.

Traffic was jammed for hours in many downtown areas, while there was flooding in District 2, in District 9 and several streets in the flood-prone District 7.

Earlier, the Southern Hydrometeorology Forecasting Center said there would be heavy rains in the city on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon due to a tropical low pressure system along the central coast.

As a result, many people in the city spent the weekend indoors fearing the terrible traffic jams and flooding that occurred a week ago. Some also chose to take a cab rather than drive their motorbikes.

But, to their surprise (or frustration), it was not wet at all on Saturday and there were just a few drops the next night.

It was an experience worth sharing on social media.

Rain has started to sound less romantic and more like a nightmare to people in Ho Chi Minh City after a historic downpour of nearly two hours on September 26 flooded the city’s drainage system and at least 60 streets by up to 80 centimeters. Thousands of cars and motorbikes in basement parking lots were stuck.

The rainfall was measured at 179mm, the heaviest since 1975.

The southern weather forecasting center said the rainy season is at its peak, and given the strong monsoon winds, the southern region should brace for more heavy rains in the coming days.

> More heavy rain sends Saigon back under water

> Ho Chi Minh City's interactive flood map