The northern regions of Vietnam, along with Thanh Hoa, will continue experiencing severe cold until tomorrow. While daytime temperatures will rise above 20°C early next week, nighttime temperatures will remain bitterly cold. Forecasts indicate Hanoi’s temperature could drop as low as 10°C on Christmas Eve.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, cold air has enveloped the entire northern region and parts of central Vietnam up to the mid-central provinces. As of December 14, the cold air has extended its influence to parts of the south-central region, with northeast winds of level 7 and gusts of level 9 over the Gulf of Tonkin. Central coastal waters are experiencing winds of level 6, with gusts up to level 8.

The cold air will intensify this evening and overnight, spreading further into the south-central region. Northeast winds on land will strengthen to level 3, and coastal areas will experience winds of level 4–5.

From this evening to tomorrow night (December 15), northern Vietnam and Thanh Hoa will remain in the grip of freezing weather, with severe cold conditions in the mountains.

The lowest temperatures during this cold wave are expected to range from:

10–13°C in the plains
7–10°C in mountainous areas
Below 5°C in high-altitude regions

In Dien Bien and the area from Nghe An to Quang Binh, temperatures will range from 12–15°C, with some places in Dien Bien dipping below 11°C.

Hanoi will remain severely cold, with lows of 10–13°C. While daytime highs will gradually increase to 20–23°C with sunshine starting December 15, nighttime and early morning temperatures will still hover around 11–13°C. On Christmas Eve (December 24), the minimum temperature is forecast to drop to about 10°C.

In northern Vietnam, Thanh Hoa, and Nghe An, sunny days will begin on December 16. However, mountainous areas will still experience severe cold.

The combination of cold air and upper-level eastern wind disturbances will bring moderate to heavy rain from Quang Tri to Khanh Hoa from this evening to tomorrow night. Rainfall in some areas may reach 40–100mm, with localized downpours exceeding 200mm.

Additionally, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, the Central Highlands, and southern Vietnam will see scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms, with localized rain of 10–30mm, and some areas exceeding 70mm. Thunderstorms may also bring lightning, strong winds, and tornadoes.

From December 16 onward, heavy rain in the central region is expected to decrease.

Meteorological agencies predict that from now until mid-January 2025, cold air will remain active, with multiple days of severe cold expected.

Sea conditions

From December 14–15, the Gulf of Tonkin will experience strong northeast winds of level 6–7, with gusts of level 8–9. Seas will be rough, with waves reaching heights of 2–4.5 meters. Wind intensity will gradually decrease from December 16.

The northern East Sea, including the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands, will face northeast winds of level 7, with gusts of level 8–9 and waves of 4–6 meters.

Coastal areas from Quang Tri to Ca Mau and the central East Sea will experience northeast winds of level 6, occasionally reaching level 7, with gusts of level 8–9 and waves of 3–5 meters.
 

Bao Anh