Storm Saudel, formed from a tropical depression near the Philippines on Tuesday morning, is expected to enter the East Sea in the next 24 hours.
At 1 p.m., the storm was around 220 km to the east of the Philippines’ Luzon Island, with a maximum wind speed of 75 kph, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
Within the next 24 hours, the storm would move west-northwest at around 20-25 kph and enter the South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea.
At around 1 p.m. Wednesday, the storm would be about 650 km to the east-southeast of Vietnam’s Paracel Islands, with a maximum wind speed of 90 kph.
During the next 24-48 hours, the storm would continue to move west at 15-20 kph and may intensify. At around 1 p.m. Thursday, the storm would be around 280 km to the east-southeast of Paracel Islands, with a maximum wind speed of 100 kph.
In the next 48-72 hours, Saudel would maintain its direction and speed, and may still strengthen further. At around 1 p.m. Friday, the storm would be directly above Paracel Islands, with winds of 115 kph.
The latest data on Saudel’s current trajectory suggests it is heading towards central Vietnam, though it has yet to be confirmed whether it would make landfall or even affect the region.
Japan Meteorological Agency anticipated Saudel’s center would be close to the central Vietnam coast at around 7 a.m. Sunday, with a maximum wind speed of around 83 kph.
Hong Kong Observatory predicted Saudel’s center would be close to the central Vietnam coast at around 8 a.m. Sunday, classified as a severe tropical storm with a maximum wind speed of 90 kph.
If Saudel does enter the East Sea, it would be the eighth storm to appear here this year. Previous storms, including Linfa and Nangka, have brought strong winds and heavy rains to central Vietnam since earlier this month.
Central Vietnam has been hit by torrential rains, floods and landslides in the past two weeks, after a cold spell came in contact with tropical turbulence.
At least 105 people have died amid rain, floods and landslides in the region as of Tuesday, according to the Central Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.
This article was originally published in Vnexpress