VietNamNet Bridge – Abnormal weather patterns will appear more regularly and winter could be colder, while temperatures in Hanoi may exceed 42oC in summer.

Vietnamese scientists have warned that in the context of global warming, the regional average temperature will increase in the next few decades.

In Hanoi, where urbanization has been proceeding quickly, with the urban heat island effect, the temperature in the central area of the city will be higher than in the suburbs.

The average temperature in Hanoi will be increasing steadily and may exceed the 42oC threshold.

Dr. Nguyen Duc Ngu from the Center for Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment, climate change is a reality, and that the reports from monitoring stations all over the globe, from the Arctic to Antarctic all prove this.

The temperature in Arctic has reportedly increased by two times more sharply than the average temperature increase in the globe.

In Hanoi, Ngu said the climate change can be seen in the gradual increase in the minimum temperature year after year, and in the decrease of the number of cold days, the shortening of cold spells and the decrease in the cold spell frequency.

“The winter will become less cold. Meanwhile, the rainfall in the season will also decrease, which will lead to the more serious of the drought,” he noted.

Though emphasizing that climate change is a major challenge, scientists admitted that there had been no funding granted to conduct research on solutions to adapt to the new circumstances.

Nguyen Van Hoach from the Hai Duong provincial Meteorology, Hydrology Center also said climate change has caused changes to the weather.

The northern part of Vietnam sustained a severe spell of cold weather in early 2008, which lasted 38 days. The mountainous provinces in the northwest, especially Lao Cai, not only suffered damaging cold, but frost as well. The harsh cold spell then killed 50,000 animals and damaged agricultural production.

In Hanoi, the temperature dropped to 9oC in 2013 during a long cold spell.

Abnormal weather can be seen in all seasons, including autumn, which is considered the mild season of the year.

From October 31 to November 4, 2008, the heaviest ever rain occurred in the capital city of Hanoi and neighboring areas. The rainfall was measured at 600-1,000 mm in Hanoi, Vinh Phuc, former province of Ha Tay (now a part of Hanoi) and Hoa Binh.

Hanoi and some neighboring areas were inundated by water. The historic rain and flood caused 20 deaths and damage worth VND3 trillion.

Dat Viet