Storm No. 5 forecast to strengthen as it gets closer to land
At the meeting to respond to the tropical depression about to strengthen into a storm this afternoon, August 22, Mr. Hoang Duc Cuong - Deputy Director of the Department of Hydrometeorology, said that the cycle of formation, development, and weakening of storms usually lasts from 7 to 8 days. However, storm No. 5 (currently a tropical depression) has only been on land for three days from its formation, so it will coincide with the strongest stage of development of the storm.
"Storms entering warm ocean areas should create conditions for the storm to strengthen, showing no signs of weakening but getting stronger as they get closer to shore; only once they have reached the mainland can the storm gradually weaken. Therefore, the time to respond to the storm is very short" - Mr. Cuong emphasized.
Mr. Cuong also paid special attention to tourism activities this weekend because thunderstorms may appear before the storm makes landfall.
Concluding the meeting, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep emphasized that storm No. 5 is moving quickly, the affected area is wide, and will impact on the weekends when the whole country is urgently preparing to celebrate National Day on September 2.
"It is forecasted that around the early morning of August 25, storm No. 5 will make landfall and impact the mainland directly. The area with the most rain is forecast to be from Thanh Hoa to Hue, but especially note that if you only need to deviate a little to the south, the affected area will be Quang Nam, Da Nang, and a little to the north will be Hanoi, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Hai Phong. However, this is a distant forecast, and will continue to closely follow calculations" - the Deputy Minister advised.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep also noted that the rain will last from August 24 to 27 with rainfall of 600 - 700mm in some places. The important thing is that since the beginning of the year, we have witnessed many extreme rains exceeding historical values; every rain brings a series of dangerous phenomena such as flash floods and landslides.
tourism activities to note this weekend
As for strong winds, the storm will continuously strengthen and show no signs of abating as it approaches the mainland. This is a very worrying sign.
"The forecast focus is on strong winds along the coast of Nghe An to Quang Tri provinces with gusts above level 12 that can reach level 13 - 14. That is the assessment up to now" - Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep said.
To proactively respond to the impacts of storm No. 5, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment has directed the immediate actions. Specifically, it is necessary to soon send a document to the Ministry of Industry and Trade requesting a review of all hydroelectric reservoirs, because at this time the reservoirs have accumulated.
Localities in the affected forecast area must proactively calculate the relocation of residents, promptly reserve food and medicine for villages at risk of being isolated, and prevent loss of life due to landslides. With heavy rain as forecast, there is a great worry about landslides in the western provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Hue, Quang Tri.
Mr. Hiep also suggested assessing the risk of flooding in production areas (culture, livestock, seafood), proactively harvesting early to reduce damage.
Regarding tourism activities, it is forecasted that there will be strong winds on the 2 weekends near the holidays, and it is recommended that localities such as Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, and Nghe An should pay special attention when allowing passengers to board boats.
