According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, in recent days, Ho Chi Minh City has continuously been cold at night and early morning, the common temperature is 20-23 degrees C. Many people and tourists have to bring coats and warm scarves to keep warm.
According to the Southern Regional Hydrometeorological Station, in December and January every year, the temperature in Ho Chi Minh City tends to drop due to the impact of increased cold air waves from the North. This is a weather pattern that repeats almost cyclically.
In fact, Ho Chi Minh City has recorded deeper cold spells than today. According to meteorological data, at the end of December 1999, Tan Son Hoa station measured the lowest temperature at 16.4 degrees Celsius; in early January 1995, the level of 16.9 degrees Celsius also appeared.
According to weather forecast models and applications, on the night of January 8th and early morning of January 9th, the lowest temperature in Ho Chi Minh City may drop to around 20 degrees Celsius, even approaching 16 degrees Celsius in some places. If this scenario occurs, this will be a rare temperature level after more than two decades.
There are 3 main reasons leading to this situation. The first is the strong spread of cold air masses from the North in January. When spreading to Ho Chi Minh City, the cold air has weakened and gradually warmed up, but still enough to dispel the hot air mass on the spot, pulling the temperature in the whole area down.
The second factor is characteristic of the dry season. At this time, the night sky is usually cloudy. During the day, the ground absorbs heat from sunlight; at night, if there is no cloud cover, the entire amount of heat will quickly escape into space, causing the temperature to drop deeply, especially between 4 am and 7 am.
The third reason comes from low air humidity. In cold air waves, humidity in Ho Chi Minh City usually drops below 50%. Dry air retains heat poorly, causing temperature differences between day and night to occur quickly and clearly: hot during the day, deeply cold at night. This is also the reason why temperatures of 19-20 degrees Celsius only appear shortly before sunrise.
It is forecasted that in the two nights of January 8 and January 9, the lowest temperature in the central area of Ho Chi Minh City will be commonly around 20 degrees Celsius, while suburban areas may drop to 18-19 degrees Celsius.
From the night of January 10th and early morning of January 11th, cold air will weaken quickly, the temperature will increase again, fluctuating around 20-23 degrees Celsius at night, and highest at 29-32 degrees Celsius during the day.
On weekends, Ho Chi Minh City's weather continues to bear the characteristics of the dry season: sunny during the day, little rain at night.
However, the intensity of the sun tends to be milder due to the influence of thin layers of clouds blown in from the sea. Especially at night and early morning, the feeling of coolness is still maintained, in some places people feel it clearly.
People and tourists going out at night and early morning should wear warm coats and heat-retaining clothing. Meanwhile, there are still measures to avoid the sun during the day such as wearing hats and thin coats to ensure health.
