The recent widespread intense heat wave in the North and Central regions has raised concerns about the impact of El Nino on Vietnam's weather.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Huong - Head of Weather Forecast Department, National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, El Nino has only recently appeared and has not had a direct impact on the weather in our country.
The cause of the recent heat wave is due to the influence of the circulation of hot lowlands and foehn winds. Regarding the impact of El Nino, in the period from now to August 2026, the national temperature will tend to be higher than the multi-year average by 0.5 - 1 degree Celsius. This means that summer temperatures will be higher than the average. The number of hot days and the number of hot spells is also higher than in 2025 and higher than the average" - Mr. Huong analyzed.
According to a representative of the Weather Forecast Department, the heat in June 2026 will also be more intense than the average.
We predict that there may be about 2-3 more heat waves in June. The heat waves are likely to reach 37 - 39 degrees Celsius, some places may reach 41 - 42 degrees Celsius. Especially in the western mountainous areas of Thanh Hoa to Hue city" - Mr. Huong assessed.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, during the recent widespread intense heat wave in the North and Central regions, the highest temperature during the day was in the range of 38 - 40 degrees Celsius, locally above 40 degrees Celsius.
Some places have had temperatures breaking the record of May, such as at Uong Bi station (Quang Ninh) on May 25 with the highest daily temperature of 38 degrees C, exceeding the historical value of 37.5 degrees on May 16, 2013; Hiep Hoa station (Bac Ninh) with the highest daily temperature of 39.7 degrees C, exceeding the historical value of 39 degrees C on May 19, 2019; Bac Giang station with the highest daily temperature of 39.4 degrees C, exceeding the historical value of 39.1 degrees C on May 21, 2020; Bac Ninh station with the highest daily temperature of 40.5 degrees C, equal to the historical value of May 21, 2020; Hai Duong station (Hai Phong) with the highest daily temperature of 39.6 degrees C, equal to the historical value of May 21, 2020.
Hanoi capital is one of the hot spots. At Ha Dong station, the highest temperature in May was recorded at 41.3 degrees in 2019. On May 26, 2026, it was 41.1 degrees Celsius, ranked 2nd; at Lang station, the highest temperature was suspected at 41.8 on June 4, 2017; while in Hanoi, the absolute highest temperature of the year (taken in Ha Dong) was 42.5 also on June 4, 2017.
Mr. Nguyen Van Huong recommended that with the trend of hot sun appearing more and more intense than the multi-year average, it may increase the risk of heat shock, heat stroke, forest fires, residential area fires and local water shortages.
Prolonged high temperatures combined with low humidity also greatly affect the health of the elderly, young children and outdoor workers. In addition, after hot spells, there is often a potential risk of thunderstorms, lightning and strong gusts of wind due to the conflict between hot and cool air masses of weak intensity at the end of the season. People need to proactively take heat protection measures, use electricity safely and regularly monitor forecast bulletins and dangerous weather warnings" - Mr. Huong further warned.
