A new tropical depression is heading toward central Vietnam and may strengthen into a storm following the weakening of Storm Linfa on Sunday.
As of 7:00 am on Monday, the tropical depression was located 550 kilometers northeast of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, unleashing winds at 50-60km per hour with gusts up to 90km an hour, the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting reported.
It is expected to travel northwest in the next 24 hours and develop into a storm.
The storm will be 200 kilometers north of Hoang Sa by 7:00 am on Tuesday, with wind speeds increasing to 60-90km per hour and gusts up to 117km an hour.
In the next 24 to 48 hours, the storm may get stronger as it continues heading northwest, and is expected to be in the maritime area south of the Gulf of Tonkin on Wednesday morning.
Due to the combined effects of the tropical depression, a tropical convergence zone, and a cold spell, it is forecast to rain heavily in the localities from north-central Ha Tinh Province to central Da Nang City on Monday, with an expected average rainfall of 100-200 millimeters.
Downpours will likely linger until Tuesday, with the highest rainfall of about 150-350 millimeters, expected in Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue Provinces.
In Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Da Nang, average rainfall is forecast at 80-150 millimeters.
Rain of 50-100 millimeters is expected to dampen Quang Nam and Quang Ngai during this period.
Downpours will decrease in intensity starting on Tuesday afternoon.
On Sunday morning, Storm Linfa, which developed from a tropical depression, made landfall between Quang Nam and Quang Ngai Provinces, with winds of 60 to 75km per hour.
The storm, Vietnam’s sixth this year, weakened later the same day.
This article was originally published in Tuoitre