At around 10.00am October 22 Saudel, the eighth tropical storm to hit the East Sea this year, was located about 390km east of the Hoang Sa archipelago, packing winds of 100-115kph near its eye.

In the next 24-48 hours, the storm is moving west and north-west at speeds of 10-15kmph and is forecast to strengthen further.  

In the following 72 to 96 hours, Saudel is anticipated to move west at speeds of between 20-25km and make landfall shortly afterwards.

Weather forecasters have warned residents living along the central coast to prepare for high waves and possible flooding again.

The previous two storm, Noul and Nangka battered central Vietnam about two weeks ago, triggering flashfloods and landslides in low-lying and mountainous areas. The natural disasters have so far left more than 100 dead and dozens missing.  

Storm Saudel moves west-northwest

Storm Saudel, the eighth to hit the East Sea so far this year, is moving west-northwest with a speed of about 10km per hour and is forecast to gain strength, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Storm Saudel's movements (Source: NCHMF)

As of 4am of October 22, the storm was about 470km east of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, with winds of up to 100km per hour.

As of 10pm of October 23, it is forecast to be 220km east of Hoang Sa archipelago, with winds near the storm of 100-135km per hour.

From 10pm of October 23 to 10pm of October 24, the storm is forecast to keep the west-northwest direction with speeds of 5-10km per hour and become stronger.

In the next 24 hours, the storm will move west with speeds of 10-15km per hour. As of 22pm of October 25, it will reach the south of China’s Hainan island before heading towards western direction with speeds of 20-25km per hour.

According to Director of the National Central for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Mai Van Khiem, the storm will affect Vietnam. However, due to many factors leading to the changing of its direction, it is difficult to predict affected areas.

Experts warned vessels operating at sea to keep a close watch on the storm’s movements to timely escape from risky areas./.VNA