East Sea low pressure system concerns forecasters

The low pressure system remains weak but is likely to strengthen into a tropical depression, heading towards the Hoang Sa archipelago and Hainan Island (China) in the next 24-48 hours.

At 7am on August 7, a tropical convergence strip was positioned at 15.8 degrees north, 114.8 degrees east, about 270km-370km southeast of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago,  according to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

The low pressure system is proving problematic for meteorologists to predict its direction of movement but for the next 24 hours, it is not likely to cause strong winds or bring heavy rains to northern provinces.

Due to the effects of the low pressure system, heavy showers and thunderstorms will affect the East Sea area on August 7, including the Hoang Sa archipelago.

The confluence of the tropical convergence strip and south western monsoon will cause rough seas and strong winds in the coastal areas from Binh Thuan to Ca Mau. Thundershowers, gales and tornadoes are likely to hit coastal areas from Binh Thuan to Ca Mau, Kien Giang and the Gulf of Thailand.