HCMC – A tropical depression active in the East Sea has strengthened into a storm this afternoon, October 14, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
At 1 p.m. today, Storm Sonca was spotted some 350 kilometers southeast of Danang City, 305 kilometers from Quang Ngai Province and 260 kilometers from Quang Nam Province.
The storm is moving northwest at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour, packing winds at level 8 and gusting at level 10.
By 1 p.m. tomorrow, the storm could be around 90 kilometers from the mainland between Danang and Quang Ngai.
Due to the impact of the storm, the northwest of the East Sea and the waters off the coasts of the central provinces from Quang Tri to Phu Yen could be hit by torrential rains and strong winds.
The waters north of the East Sea, including Vietnam’s Paracel Islands (Hoang Sa Islands), could suffer the North East Monsoon blowing at levels 6-7, gusting at levels 8-9, and rough seas.
Strong winds and rough waves are expected in the coastal areas from Thua Thien-Hue to Binh Dinh from the late afternoon of October 14.
The central provinces will continue to see heavy downpours, with rainfalls from the night of October 13 to October 16 ranging from 150 to 500 millimeters.
Some areas in the provinces of Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Danang and Quang Nam could see rainfalls above 700 millimeters.
The low-lying and riverside areas may be deluged, while flash floods and landslides may occur in the mountainous regions of the central provinces from Quang Binh to Khanh Hoa and the central highland provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai and Daklak.
