Weather app downloads skyrocket ahead of storm Noru

"Everyone download this app to follow Noru," Do Nhan, a member of a central region online group recommended.

The post got hundreds of responses.

Many people uploaded photos of themselves downloading the app to follow Noru, one of the strongest storms to hit Vietnam in the last two decades.

Windy.com has surpassed TikTok as the second most downloaded app in Vietnam, according to the App Store ranking for iPhone users.

Windy.com has become the second most downloaded app on Vietnam's App Store. Photo by VnExpress/Luu Quy

It is also the most popular weather app on Android.

Previously, the top free apps downloaded on iOS and Android were largely social networking and e-commerce ones.

According to Google Trends, topics like "Windy" and "how to see the weather forecast on Windy" have been searched a lot in the last two days.

The most searched provinces are Quang Ngai, Quang Nam and Phu Yen, expected to be the first in storm Noru's firing line.

"I'm not in the central area right now, but I downloaded this app to follow the storm status and notify my relatives," Nghiem Thu, a native of Binh Dinh Province who works in Hanoi, said.

The app's usefulness is that it can track both satellite photos and simulated wind direction, making it easier for her to understand the scenario, she said.

A screenshot showing the interface of Windy.com. Photo by VnExpress/Luu Quy

Windy.com, one of the world's most popular weather monitoring apps, allows users to monitor temperature and wind direction with visual information that is quickly updated.

Its data is derived from the Global Forecast System, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and a number of other forecasting systems.

Noru, one of the strongest storms in 20 years, entered the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea) early Monday and is on course toward Da Nang and central provinces.

By 7 p.m. Tuesday, it is expected to lay centered 260 km off Da Nang with winds of up to 166 kph. It will move toward central Vietnam and make landfall before weakening into a tropical depression by 7 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.