Temperatures in HCMC and some other southern provinces have dropped significantly following unseasonable rains in recent days, but heat waves are forecast to return this weekend due to a hot spell from the west. 

According to the southern hydro-meteorological center, the highest temperature in HCMC reached 34-35 degree Celsius yesterday, and it may rain here in the city and other parts of the southern region today.

Meteorologist Le Thi Xuan Lan said that the rainy season would not start until the middle of next month despite unexpected rains which helped ease severe drought in the southern and Central Highlands regions.

The national center for hydro-meteorological forecasting said water levels in rivers and streams in the Central Highlands have continued falling against previous weeks while some small springs in Ninh Thuan Province have dried up.

The center predicted water levels of rivers in the north-central provinces of Nghe An and Thanh Hoa will continue to drop further with some reaching new record lows.

Water flows of major rivers in the central and the Central Highlands regions such as Cai in Nha Rang, Thu Bon and Ba will be around 30-50% lower than the average levels of recent years.

Nguyen Minh Giam, deputy director of the southern regional hydro-meteorological center, said as now to May is the transition period between the dry and rainy seasons in the south, there could be whirlwinds and unexpected torrential rain.