The National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting (NCHF) reported that a storm was located 310 kilometers southeast of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago as of 1:00 pm on Wednesday. The storm has an average wind speed of 60-75km per hour. It is expected to travel southwest over the next 24 hours and reach a position 150 kilometers east of the south-central coast by 1:00 pm on Thursday. In the next 24 to 48 hours, the storm, named Goni, will make landfall between central Quang Ngai Province and south-central Khanh Hoa Province with winds of 60-70km per hour, before weakening into a tropical depression.
Heavy rain is expected to begin Wednesday night and continue until the end of Friday, affecting central Vietnamese provinces. The heaviest rainfalls of 250-350 millimeters are predicted for Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Binh Dinh Provinces. Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Phu Yen, and parts of the Central Highlands can expect 100-200 millimeters of rainfall during this period. From Thursday to Saturday, precipitation of 100-200 millimeters is forecasted for the localities from north-central Ha Tinh to Quang Tri Provinces.
Mai Van Khiem, director of the NCHF, warns that the weather conditions in the coming days pose a high risk of inundation in lower areas, as well as landslides and flash floods in mountainous locales. Water levels in many rivers in the region are also expected to rise due to the torrential rains.
In response to Storm Goni, the Ministry of National Defense has assigned military forces to take action. More than 240,000 soldiers and nearly 1,100 vehicles from two military regions will be prepared for the efforts.
This article was originally published in Tuoitre.
