On the morning of April 17, many northern mountainous provinces experienced widespread thunderstorms, with heavy to very heavy rain in some places, causing the weather to cool down after hot days.
According to records, from early morning, the sky in many places in the highlands was covered in black clouds, rain poured down continuously, at times heavy rain, whitening the road surface.
On some steep mountain passes, visibility is sharply reduced due to heavy rain accompanied by fog, slippery road surfaces, making travel more difficult than usual.
In Lao Cai, according to the Hydrometeorological Station, due to the influence of a low pressure trough being compressed and gradually moving southward, from the evening of April 16 to April 17, areas in the province will have showers, locally moderate rain, heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms. Common rainfall is 20-40 mm, in some places over 60 mm.
The meteorological agency predicts that this rain wave may last 3-4 days, including days with moderate rain, locally heavy rain with strong thunderstorms.
Notably, from the evening and night of April 17, a high-altitude wind convergence zone formed in the Lao Cai area, causing the weather to turn bad on a large scale.
Many localities in Lao Cai are warned to be the focus of moderate to heavy rain, with a high risk of tornadoes, hail, lightning strikes and localized heavy rain. Mountainous areas, streamsides and places where hills are being leveled are recommended to prevent flash floods, landslides and flooding in low-lying areas.
In Phu Tho, on April 17, thunderstorms are likely to appear due to cool air mass combined with a low trough moving down, on a background of high temperatures and with additional upper-level wind convergence support.
In thunderstorm dens, the risk of hail, strong gusts of wind and thunder is warned at a high level.
Also according to Cao Bang Hydrometeorological Station, weak cold air continues to compress low pressure troughs, combined with wind convergence above 1,500 m level, causing rain, moderate rain and scattered thunderstorms in many places.
Common rainfall is 20-40 mm, locally over 70 mm. The weather is cooling down, but extreme weather can affect production and daily life.
Meanwhile, in Son La, the convective cloud area from Lai Chau, Dien Bien has moved towards the province, causing showers and thunderstorms in some communes of Muong Chien, Binh Thuan, Chieng Lao, Muong John, Muong Sai, Quynh Nhai.
The meteorological agency warns of the risk of tornadoes, lightning, hail and localized heavy rain, disaster risk level 1.
According to recommendations from the meteorological industry, thunderstorms accompanied by tornadoes, lightning, hail and strong gusts of wind can break trees, damage houses, traffic works and infrastructure.
Localized heavy rain also increases the risk of flash floods on small rivers and streams, landslides in steep slopes and flooding in low-lying areas.
People in northern mountainous localities are advised to closely monitor weather developments, limit travel through flooded areas, overflows, and slopes during heavy rain to minimize risks.
