Cold wave to assault northern Vietnam on Sunday

The mass of cold air is already closing in on border areas in the far north, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has reported.

Starting Sunday afternoon, the cold wave will hit the eastern parts of northern Vietnam first before expanding towards western regions and the Red River Delta that night.

On Monday, temperatures in the north are expected to plunge lower than 13 degrees Celsius on average, and some mountains may experience ice and frost cover.

U.S. weather forecast service AccuWeather anticipated Hanoi’s temperatures to fluctuate between 14-20 degrees on Sunday, a drop of six degrees compared to Saturday. Temperatures are predicted to continue to fall to 9-12 degrees starting next week, and the forecast is that they will remain that way for around two days.

The peaks of Mau Son in Lang Son should feel the impacts of the cold wave first, with temperatures at 4-7 degrees on Sunday. Starting Monday, temperatures could fall to lows of two degrees at night, for around another four days.

Lao Cai’s Sa Pa would see the lowest temperatures at night at 4-5 degrees, with daytime temperatures at 7-9 degrees.

For central Vietnam, the northern part will feel the cold first, with the lowest temperatures at 9-12 degrees. Areas from Quang Binh to Thua Thien-Hue will see temperatures of 13-16 degrees.

In Da Nang, temperatures at night on Tuesday are expected to fall to 19 degrees, with daytime temperatures at 22-23 degrees.

The standing office of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention has requested localities in the north and north-central regions to monitor the cold wave and instruct people to take appropriate precautions and safety measures against the inclement weather.

The winter-spring season of 2023-2024 saw severe cold fronts bruise northern Vietnam from Dec. 17 to 27 last year. On Dec. 22 in particular, temperatures on Mau Son dropped to minus 2.5 degrees, Vietnam’s lowest temperature recorded in the last 11 years.