The rainy season is forecast to start in the second week of May in the south, later than in previous years. Scorching weather continues, with higher average temperatures than in previous years, noted an officer of the Southern Regional Hydro-Meteorological Center.

A woman and a child fully cover themselves with jackets, sunglasses, and masks to avoid the heat. The scorching weather continues hitting the south, alongside the late-coming rainy season

At a meeting discussing climate and weather conditions in the southern provinces during the year, held on March 28 in Can Tho City, Le Dinh Quyet from the center stated that the rainy season will start late and end in early November.

Also, the late arrival of the rains may make April the hottest period of the year, while the Mekong Delta region suffers a drought and saline intrusion, remarked Quyet. This region is also expected to encounter a low volume of rainfall versus previous years.

As for the current hot weather, the highest temperature to date in the south is 37.6 degrees Celsius, recorded in Dong Nai Province’s Bien Hoa City, while Chau Doc of An Giang Province saw the highest temperature in the Mekong Delta region, at 36.5 degrees Celsius.

Between April and August, the average temperatures may be higher than those of previous years, by 0.4-0.6 degree Celsius. There will be sizzling hot days next month, with temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius or higher.

As for possible storms during the year, an officer of the center forecast that 10-12 storms and tropical depressions may enter the East Sea this year, with four of them likely to make landfall. However, the storm development may have less of an impact on the southern provinces, stated the official.

Addressing the meeting, Le Hong Phong, deputy head of the Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration, pointed out that weather conditions have become more complicated due to the effects of climate change and thus have made it difficult for local weather centers to produce accurate forecasts.

Phong also asked the Southern Regional Hydro-Meteorological Center to modernize its weather forecast equipment and issue reader-friendly weather forecasts, allowing local residents to prepare for bad weather.

SGT