Northern Vietnam to enjoy warmer weekends

The region has gone past the coldest period of the current cold spell, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

On Thursday night, high-altitude locations like the peaks of Mau Son in Lang Son recorded temperatures at around 2 degrees, while other areas like Dong Van in Ha Giang, Trung Khanh in Cao Bang and Tam Dao in Vinh Phuc recorded temperatures at over 6 degrees.

In Hanoi, weather stations at various locations recorded temperatures at around 12-13 degrees.

Rains would stop in northern Vietnam regions on Friday, and Hanoi’s highest temperatures would be around 17 degrees. During the weekends, the cold air would subside, causing temperatures to rise by 1-2 degrees each day, the center said.

U.S. weather forecast service AccuWeather expects Hanoi’s temperatures to be at 15-21 degrees, while temperatures in Sa Pa would be around 11-17 degrees during the weekends.

The winter season in northern Vietnam began around November 7, but the first cold period has only arrived now. Average temperatures between December and February 2023 should be around the same as previous years, while the mercury rising to around 0.5 degrees higher than previous years in January 2023.

In central Vietnam, due to the effects of monsoon winds, there were heavy rains that dumped over 100 mm rainfall from 7 p.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Friday. Certain places, like Bach Ma in Thua Thien-Hue or Song Hinh in Phu Yen, recorded rainfall of over 260 mm. During the weekends, provinces in the area are forecast to receive rainfall of up to 180 mm.