Upon making landfall, the storm is expected to sustain category 13–14 winds (149-166 kilometers per hour), with gusts up to category 16 (201 kilometers per hour), posing a serious threat to the Central region’s dyke system.
As updated, as of 8:00 a.m. on August 25, weather stations reported strong winds across Northern and Central coastal areas like Bach Long Vi (Hai Phong City), Co To and Bai Chay (Quang Ninh Province), Hon Ngu (Nghe An Province) and Con Co (Quang Tri Province).
In Ha Tinh to Quang Tri provinces, moderate to heavy rain has been recorded, with some areas receiving more than 150 millimeters of rainfall.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, at 7 a.m. on August 25, the eye of typhoon Kajiki was located near latitude 18.4 degrees North latitude and 107.2 degrees East longitude, about 160 kilometers east-southeast of Nghe An Province, 145 kilometers east of Ha Tinh Province and 155 kilometers east-northeast of northern Quang Tri Province.
As of 8 a.m., typhoon Kajiki maintained maximum sustained winds of 150–166 kilometers per hour, equivalent to category 14, with gusts reaching category 17 strength. The storm is tracking west-northwest at around 20 kilometers per hour.
Meteorologists warn that with winds of this magnitude, coastal levees, small single-story homes, trees, and unfinished or temporary structures are highly vulnerable.
According to the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, there are currently 43 vulnerable sections of coastal and river-mouth levees spanning from Ninh Binh to Hue.
The coastal dikes were built to handle storms of category 9–10 strength and moderate tidal levels, but with typhoon Kajiki forecast to reach category 13–14, gusting to category 17, posing a serious threat to structural safety.
