HCMC – The southern circulation of super typhoon Ragasa has stretched as far as Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands, drawing in strong southwest winds and unleashing heavy downpours across southern Vietnam this afternoon, with rainfall in HCMC forecast to top 80 millimeters.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected across the south-central coast and southern provinces through this evening, September 23. Rainfall is forecast at 15 to 30 millimeters in many areas, with localized heavy rain exceeding 80 millimeters under the storm’s distant influence.
Meteorologists warned of severe rain events of more than 70 millimeters in three hours, which could trigger whirlwinds, lightning, hail, and strong gusts during thunderstorms. Localized heavy rain also poses risks of flash floods in small rivers and streams, landslides on steep slopes, and flooding in low-lying areas.
Compounding the situation, tidal levels on the downstream Saigon River are forecast to peak today. The combination of heavy rainfall and high tide could lead to flooding in urban zones and residential areas along rivers, canals, and low-lying terrain.
At sea, southwest winds from Lam Dong to Ca Mau, including waters off HCMC, are blowing at level 5, occasionally strengthening to level 6 in the north, with gusts reaching levels 7 to 8. Waves of 1.5 to 3 meters are expected, making seas rough to moderately rough.
Further southwest, waters off Ca Mau, An Giang, and Phu Quoc are seeing lighter southwest winds at level 4, with wave heights of 0.5 to 1.5 meters.
On land, the provinces of Lam Dong, Dong Nai, and Tay Ninh will experience variable to heavy cloud cover, with intermittent sunshine but widespread showers, some developing into heavy rain. In the Mekong Delta, evening showers and thunderstorms are forecast across several provinces.
