Storm Goni is forecast to bring downpours to multiple provinces in central Vietnam over the next days, posing more risks of inundation, landslides, and flash floods.
The storm was located at 310 kilometers southeast of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago as of 1:00 pm on Wednesday, according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting (NCHF).
Average wind speed was recorded at 60-75km per hour.
It will travel southwest in the next 24 hours and will have been at 150 kilometers east of the south-central coast by 1:00 pm on Thursday.
In the next 24 to 48 hours, Goni will make landfall between central Quang Ngai Province and south-central Khanh Hoa Province, packing winds at 60-70km per hour, before weakening into a tropical depression.
Heavy rain will begin lashing central Vietnamese provinces from Wednesday night and will linger until the end of Friday.
The heaviest downpours, about 250-350 millimeters, will batter Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Binh Dinh Provinces.
In Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Phu Yen, and parts of the Central Highlands, rainfall will be at 100-200 millimeters during this period.
From Thursday to Saturday, precipitation of 100-200 millimeters will dampen the localities from north-central Ha Tinh to Quang Tri Provinces.
According to Mai Van Khiem, director of the NCHF, the weather conditions in the next days will pose high risks of inundation in lower areas as well as landslides and flash floods in mountainous locales.
Water levels in many rivers in the region will also rise due to the torrential rains, Khiem added.
The Ministry of National Defense has tasked some military forces with responding to Storm Goni.
More than 240,000 soldiers and nearly 1,100 vehicles from two military regions will be ready for the efforts.
This article was originally published in Tuoitre