Storm Prapiroon heading towards north Vietnam

According to the National Center for Hydro – Meteorological Forecasting, it lay centered at Hainan at 7 a.m. Monday and is moving northwestward.

The storm is forecast to reach the Gulf of Tonkin by 7 a.m. Tuesday, with maximum wind speed of 74 kph, before moving through Mong Cai Town of Quang Ninh in the afternoon, entering China’s Guangxi Province and weakening into a tropical depression.

The Japan Meteorological Agency forecasts that storm Prapiroon will approach the Vietnam and China border. The Japan Meteorological Agency predicts that the storm’s winds will be 72 kph as it makes landfall, while the Hong Kong Observatory forecasts 85 kph wind speed.

Under its influence, the Gulf of Tonkin, home to Bach Long Vi and Co To islands, saw strong winds and waves 2-4 meters in height on Monday morning.

coastal areas in Quang Ninh Province, home to Ha Long Bay, are likely to have winds of level 6 (speeds of 62-74 kph) and waves of 1.5-2.5 m in height in the sea on Tuesday morning.

There will be heavy rains in northern Vietnam from Monday night to Wednesday night.

Along the coast and northeast of this region, most places will have 100-200 mm of rain though some will receive over 250 mm.

This is the second major storm in the South China Sea this year, following the first one in May. The meteorological agency notes that this year’s storms are arriving late, expected to peak between September and November. There are forecasts of 11-13 storms and tropical depressions in the South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea, with five to seven affecting the Vietnamese mainland.