Super storm Hagupit is predicted to enter in the area of Paracel and Spratly Archipelagos and then its direction will be located southwards and affect directly to the territorial waters of south and south central regions, reported the Central Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Center yesterday.

By 10pm last night, the storm was located in the Philippines’s central region. In past 24 hours, Hagupit mainly moved westwards, at the speed of 15 kilometers per hour.

According to the weather forecast, the typhoon entered in East Sea’s eastern territorial water in the early morning of Tuesday. By 10pm, Hagupit was centered 430 kilometers of Song Tu Tay Island (Southwest Cay) of the Spratly Islands.The strongest wind near center reached level 9, gust up to level 10- 11, sea rough.

Because of the influence of the storm and an additional cold front, East Sea will experience strong wind speed of level 6- 11, sea rough. The bad weather has been alerted at level 3.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam Cao Duc Phat yesterday chaired an emergency meeting with the Central Steering Committee of Flood and Storm Control to instruct measures to copy with the super storm.

Currently, the region’s Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Centers forecasted that typhoon Hagupit will approach toward Vietnam’s south central territorial water, said Director of the National Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Center Hoang Duc Cuong at the meeting.

Because typhoon Hagupit has complicated direction, the National Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Center predicted two bad situations. Firstly, typhoon Hagupit will go along south central coastal provinces from Ninh Thuan to Ben Tre, and cause heavy rains with rainfall of 50 mm on the large scale in the areas. On the second supposition that it will weaken into a tropical low pressure, later it will disappear or move to southern territorial water, not affect Vietnam’s mainland.

Super storm Hagupit accompanied with cold weather will cause heavy rains with rainfall of 150- 200 mm in Ha Tinh, Quang Tri.

By December 11, damaging cold will affect directly to north mountain and north midland provinces

By last night, the Central Steering Committee of Flood and Storm Center and local authorities continued to ask 300 fish vessels and 4,000 fishermen to avoid the storm by moving quickly to safer places.

Coastal provinces brace as Storm Hagupit approaches

Coastal localities from Da Nang to Kien Giang are bracing for heavy rains and other impacts of Storm Hagupit after it entered the East Sea yesterday afternoon.

The entry of the 5th tropical storm in the East Sea this year prompted an urgent message on Monday night from Hoang Van Thang, vice chairman of the Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control.

He asked all localities to take all needed precautionary steps including informing offshore vessels of the storm's progress, asking them to find safe anchorage spots and mobilising task forces for emergencies.

As of 6 a.m. yesterday, more than 32,000 vessels had been informed about the storm, said deputy chief of the committee's Office Vu Xuan Thanh.

He also said that Quang Tri, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Ninh Thuan, HCM City, Ben Tre, Ca Mau and Soc Trang had sent their preparedness plans to the office.

The National Centre for Hydro – Meteorological Forecasting said the storm was forecast to weaken a lot before it makes landfall in the south central provinces of Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan on Thursday night.

It predicted heavy rains for the south central and southern regions.

As of 4pm yesterday, the eye of the storm was located about 600km east of Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago's Song Tu Tay Island, with 62-74km per hour winds.

The storm is moving west at 20km per hour.

In another movement, a cold spell is expected to blanket the northern region on Wednesday night before bringing torrential rains to the central provinces. 

SGGP/VNS/VNN