Thunderstorm, lightning, whirlwind, and hail are predicted to occur nationwide in April and May, particularly in the north, Central Highlands, and south regions.

The average temperature in February, March and April is forecast to stay around that of the same period of many years, with strong cold waves to continue in the north in the second half of February but less intense and for shorter duration. Meanwhile, heat waves are expected to come late. 

From March to April, rainfall in the north will be 10-30 percent lower than the average of the same period of many years, while the central region will see about the same rainfall as that of the same period of many years.

March will be the dry season in the Central Highlands and the south, however, the south will possibly see out-of-season rains, therefore, the rainfall in March will be higher than average, and increase by 15-30 percent compared with the average in April and May.

The water levels on rivers in the north, such as Da, Thao, Lo, Red rivers, will fall between 5-30 percent in the March – May period, with the lowest level of 0.3 – 0.4 metres possibly recorded on the Red River in Hanoi in March.

Droughts and water shortage on small scale are predicted for the south central region and Central Highlands.
The water level on the upper source of Mekong River will be similar to that of the same period in 2017. Salt intrusion in the south will be lower than average and similar to that of the same period in 2017.- VNA