At 16.00 on October 31, the storm was centred at 14.2 degrees north latitude and 118.2 degrees east longitude, packing winds of between 89-102km/h near its centre. In the next 24 hours it is forecast to move between west and south-west at a speed of 20-25km/h and weaken further.

At 13.00 on November 1, Mirinae is positioned 530km east of the south-central coast from Binh Dinh to Khanh Hoa provinces. Its force winds extend outward from the center to as far as 84km/h.

The storm will bring heavy rains and cause rough seas along the central coast in a couple of days, according to the National Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Centre.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has asked ministries, sectors and south-central provinces to be well prepared for the storm, especially in the areas which were severely ravaged by storm Ketsana a month ago.

Meanwhile, a cold snap is expected to affect the northern and north-central regions on November 1. It will bring rains and cause temperatures to fall by 5-7oC.