HCMC – A tropical depression has strengthened into Storm Dianmu, the sixth storm to hit Vietnam this year, packing strong winds at 60-75 kilometers per hour and resulting in heavy rains in central provinces, according to the national weather center.
As of 1 p.m. today, September 23, Dianmu was spotted about 180 kilometers off the coast of Binh Dinh, some 260 kilometers off the coast of Quang Ngai, around 330 kilometers off the coast of Quang Nam and some 380 kilometers off the coast of Danang.
In the next 12 hours, Dianmu is forecast to mostly move west-northwest at 15-20 kilometers per hour. By 1 a.m. tomorrow, the storm may enter the waters from Thua Thien – Hue to Quang Ngai, packing winds of 75 kilometers per hour and gusting at level 10.
For the next 12-24 hours, the system could maintain the same direction and speed and enter the central region from Thua Thien – Hue to Quang Ngai, before weakening into a tropical depression, which may reach the Vietnam-Laos border by 1 p.m. tomorrow.
The tropical depression is predicted to move west-northwest at a maximum of 20 kilometers in the next 24-36 hours, before weakening into a low-pressure system which may gradually disappear later.
Due to the impact of Dianmu, offshore waters from Quang Tri to Binh Dinh may see increasingly strong winds and extremely rough seas. The coastal areas from Ninh Thuan to Ca Mau could feel the impact.
From this afternoon till tomorrow, the storm will continue to bring heavy rains in the central region from Ha Tinh to Binh Dinh provinces and the Central Highlands provinces of Kon Tum and Gia Lai. Medium to heavy rain is expected in the north-central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An from September 24 and 25. Flash floods and landslides remain a possibility in the mountainous regions while low-lying and riverside areas may be deluged.
