North-central Vietnam braces for Nesat, heavy rain expected in coming days

At 7am on October 17, Nesat was located approximately 600km north-east of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, with winds gusting 133kmph near its centre.

In the next 24 to 48 hours, the storm is forecast to move west and south-west at a speed of 15kph and is likely to gain further strength.

Nesat will cause tidal surges and heavy rain on the way it moves toward the shore on October 20.

It is anticipated to weaken into a tropical low depression when it moves closer to the north-central coast on October 21 due to the impact of continued cold air waves from the north.

However, meteorologists did not rule out the possibility that the current cold spell would weaken and Nesat would sustain its strength when it approaches the shore.

The National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control on October 16 sent a telegram requesting localities from Quang Ninh to Khanh Hoa to keep a close watch on Nesat developments and put relevant forces on standby.

The East Sea is expected to be hit by between 3-5 tropical storms and tropical low depressions in the remaining months of the year, with half of them likely to strike Vietnam, mostly in the central and south-central regions.