HÀ NỘI – El Nino, which is forecast to last until the end of 2017, will cause drought and salinity intrusion in many areas of the country during the dry season, said Lê Thanh Hải, Deputy General Director of the National Hydro-Meteorological Centre on Wednesday.

Hoàng Phúc Lâm, head of the meteorological forecasting department at the National Hydro-Meteorological Centre, said El Nino’s intensity would not be as strong as the 2015-2016 period.

El Nino would reduce the number of storms and tropical depressions in the East Sea and directly affect the country’s mainland.

According to the centre’s forecast the 2017 rainy season will see 13 to 15 storms and tropical depressions in the East Sea.

"Although the number of storms and tropical depression will decrease, the risk of strong storms is very high,” Lâm said. “Localities should be prepared for a year of unusual occurrence of storms. El Nino will last until the end of 2017."

Major meteorological agencies in the world have forecast the possibility of El Nino making a major impact this  year. The Australian Government’s Bureau of Meteorology has warned the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) will reach the start of the El Nino phenomenon around July with a probability of around 70 per cent.

International meteorological agencies predict strong storms, even super storms, will likely occur in the East Sea this year.

The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) the United States also forecast El Nino will occur in the first months of this summer through  late 2017.

In Việt Nam, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported the last El Nino ( from late 2015 to mid 2016) caused the biggest drought and salinity intrusion in over 100 years in the Mekong Delta, Central Highlands and South Central provinces.

In the Mekong Delta, ten of thirteen province announced an “urgent disaster situation” during the El Nino period.

According to the ministry’s statistics, about 160,000 ha of farming area and 800,000 tonnes of rice were damaged, with the loss estimated at VNĐ15.2 trillion (US$667.8 million).

The Central Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Centre reported hot weather and sunshine in Hà Nội and other northern provinces, with a high 37 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.

Provinces from Thanh Hóa to Phú Yên central province saw a common high of 38 degrees C, while it was around 35-36 degrees Celsius in southern provinces.-- VNS