Ea Juô Reservoir in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk dries up due to the prolonged heatwave. Photo taken on March 20. — VNA/VNS Photo Tuấn Anh

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam is forecast to suffer the highest temperatures ever recorded in 2020, according to the latest report by the Meteorological and Hydrological Administration.

The country is predicted to face increasing and complicated pattern of natural disasters this year due to the impact of global warming and melting of glaciers, the administration said.

Since the beginning of 2020, abnormal weather events have been reported in different areas of the country, including unprecedented hailstorms in northern provinces in March.

Meanwhile, the central and southern regions are suffering from severe drought and saline intrusion.

Heavy rains are forecast in central and southern provinces at the end of 2020.

The rainfall in the north-western area in May and October is predicted to witness a decline of 10 to 25 per cent compared to previous years’ average. Meanwhile, in the north-eastern area, the rainfall in June and September is expected to rise from 10 to 25 per cent compared to previous years’ average.

The central region, however, is told to prepare for prolonged droughts, with rainfall at the beginning of the rainy season lower than previous years’ average.

The rainy season is predicted to come late in the Central Highlands and the south, worsening the shortage of water till early May.

In October, the two regions’ rainfall will be 15 to 30 per cent higher than the same period last year and the rainy season is forecast to end late.

“There is a slim chance to have an early flood in southern deltas,” the report read.

The annual flood peak at the headwaters of the Cửu Long (Mekong) River on Tiền River in Tây Ninh Province’s Tân Châu Town and Hậu River in An Giang Province’s Châu Đốc District is foreseen to be 0.2 to 0.4 m lower than the annual flood peak. The flood peak will appear by the end of September.

Most of Việt Nam’s localities are stepping into the scorching hot period.

Since Sunday, high temperatures have been reported in northern central provinces from Thanh Hoá to Thừa Thiên-Huế with the highest temperature of the day recorded at 35 to 37 degrees Celsius.

From Monday to Wednesday, hot weather is forecast over north-western and central areas with predicted highest temperatures of 35 to 37 degrees Celsius.

The extended heat wave in the south is foreseen to last until Wednesday with provinces of Bình Phước, Đồng Nai, Bình Dương and Tây Ninh as the most impacted areas. Temperatures are predicted to drop from Thursday.

According to a report released by World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in January, 2019 was the second hottest year on record following 2016.

“The year 2020 has started out where 2019 left off – with high-impact weather and climate-related events,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. — VNS