The Southern region might be hit by powerful storms at the end of this year, a conference on natural disaster prevention and control heard in Ho Chi Minh City late last week.
The National Center for Hydrology Meteorology Forecasting warned that a tropical depression is forecast to trigger heavy rainfall in Northern Vietnam and unsafety for vessels in the Gulf of Tonkin and the northern territorial waters of the East Sea in the next two days.
Tropical low- pressure systems and storms are forecast to rarely form in the East Sea from now to May, said the National Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Center.
From now to the end of the year, about 6 to 8 storms and tropical depressions are able to enter the East Sea, of which about 4 to 6 storms will directly impact on the mainland of Vietnam.
The year 2018 will see about 12 – 14 storms and tropical depressions in the East Sea, some 4 – 6 are forecast to directly affect Vietnam’s mainland, according to the National Hydro-Meteorological Centre (NHMC).
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has urged relevant ministries, agencies and localities to take drastic measures to cope with potential flooding from a tropical depression that is developing close to coastal areas.