According to information from Son La Provincial Hydrometeorological Station, on the morning of May 4, a cold air mass began to affect the southeastern area of the province and will spread to other places.
Due to the influence of cold air combined with wind convergence up to 5,000m level, Son La weather turns cool, with scattered showers and thunderstorms. The lowest temperature this time decreases to 17-19°C, especially in high mountainous areas, some places turn cold with temperatures only from 16-18°C.
Weather radar images at 5:20 show that many convective cloud areas are developing strongly. Areas such as Chieng Lao, Muong La, Ngoc Chien and Son La City have showers, thunderstorms, and locally heavy rain.
It is forecasted that this convective cloud region will continue to expand to the Moc Chau, Mai Son, Yen Chau and surrounding areas.
The meteorological agency has issued a level 1 disaster risk warning, advising people to beware of extreme weather phenomena such as tornadoes, lightning, hail and strong gusts of wind.
Meanwhile, in the mountainous areas of Phu Tho and Nghe An provinces, heavy rain is occurring on a large scale. Data from 1 am to 4 am on May 4 shows that rainfall is increasing rapidly, such as at Van Mai station (Phu Tho) reaching 64.4mm, Chau Cuong (Nghe An) reaching 64.6mm.
The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting predicts that heavy rain will continue in the next 3-6 hours.
Accumulated rainfall in Phu Tho is estimated to increase by 10-30mm, in some places over 50mm; while Nghe An will receive an additional 30-60mm, in some places over 80mm.
This agency has issued a level 1 disaster risk warning order due to the risk of landslides and flash floods on small rivers and streams. People living on slopes in the following areas need to be especially vigilant:
In Phu Tho, high-risk areas include An Binh, Dung Tien, Kim Boi, Lac Luong, Mai Ha, Muong Dong, Muong Vang, Tan Lac, Tan Pheo, Thuong Coc, Van Son, Yen Thuy, Yen Tri.
In Nghe An, the risk covers a series of communes/wards such as Bach Ha, Chieu Luu, Muong Long, Nhon Mai, Quy Chau, Quy Hop, Thai Hoa, Tri Le, Van Tu...
Flash floods and landslides can directly threaten people's lives, causing traffic jams and destroying civil and economic works.
Local functional agencies are requested to urgently review flow bottlenecks and key locations in the area to proactively take preventive measures and relocate people when necessary.
