HCMC – A tropical depression in the East Sea has strengthened into Storm Lionrock, the seventh one to hit Vietnam this year, and is expected to bring heavy rains to parts of northern Vietnam, according to the national weather center.
As of 7 a.m. today, October 8, Lionrock was spotted northwest of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, packing winds at a maximum speed of 75 kilometers per hour, gusting at level 10.
In the next 24 hours, the storm is expected to move north at around 10 kilometers per hour and further strengthen. By 7 a.m. tomorrow, it may be centered in the waters southeast of China’s Hainan Island, with gale-force winds of 60-90 kilometers per hour, gusting at level 11.
For the next 24-48 hours, it is expected that the storm will move west-northwest at a slow speed of 10 kilometers per hour and enter the Gulf of Tonkin.
Lionrock may keep the same direction and weaken into a tropical depression in the next 48-72 hours before making landfall in the northern and north-central provinces and cities.
The Northern Gulf, also known as the Gulf of Tonkin, including the island district of Bach Long Vi in Haiphong City, will be experiencing powerful winds, high tide and a rough sea today. Besides, the central localities from Quang Binh to Quang Ngai and the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum could see medium to heavy rains in the day.
Between October 9 and 12, due to the impact of Lionrock, heavy downpours are expected to batter the northern and north-central provinces and could trigger flash floods and landslides across mountainous regions and flooding in low-lying and riverside areas.
According to the national steering committee for natural disaster prevention and control, local people should stay alert and quickly move out of areas vulnerable to flash floods and landslides.
