The storm is forecast to make landfall in the central region on the morning of September 24. — Photo baochinhphu.vn

HÀ NỘI — Tropical low pressure has developed into a storm and is expected to cause heavy rains in the central region from Thursday night, according to the National Hydrometeorological Forecast Centre.

The eye of the storm was about 180km off the coast of Bình Định Province at 1pm on Thursday. Windspeed was recorded at 60-75km per hour.

The storm is forecast to move in a west-northwesterly direction at a speed of 15-20 km per hour in the next 14-24 hours.

At 1 am on September 24, the storm is expected to be off the coast of central localities from Thừa Thiên-Huế to Quảng Ngãi. In the eye of the storm, strong level 8 winds are expected (60-75km per hour), with gusts reaching level 10.

In the next 12 hours, the storm is forecast to keep a west-northwesterly direction, at a speed of 15-20km. It will make landfall in areas from Thừa Thiên-Huế to Quảng Ngãi provinces, before weakening into a tropical depression.

As a result of the storm, provinces from Quảng Trị to Bình Định would experience strong winds, rough seas and waves of 2-4m.

Provinces from Hà Tĩnh to Bình Định are forecast to suffer heavy rains from Thursday, with rainfall of up to 300mm. 

The National Hydrometeorological Forecast Centre also warned of possible flooding and landslides in low-lying areas and along rivers. 

The Central Steering Committee on Natural Disasters Prevention and Control on Thursday held an urgent meeting with authorities of eight coastal localities from Quảng Bình to Khánh Hòa, to discuss measures to cope with the storm and heavy rains. It also issued an urgent dispatch to provinces from Thanh Hóa to Bình Thuận and the Central Highlands region on preventive measures. 

The committee asked ministries and localities to closely follow the development of the storm and promptly prepare prevention plans. 

They were instructed to monitor ships operating in the affected area and to keep in regular communication with the owners of the vessels, to handle any incidents that might occur.

Vessels are instructed to move to a safe shelter and localities are requested to ban vessels from going out to sea if necessary.

Localities are also required to check reservoirs and areas at risk of landslides and flash floods, and to be ready to evacuate people from high-risk areas. The safety of both people and their property must be ensured while strictly observing COVID-19 prevention and control measures. 

Rescue forces are ready around the clock to deal with any problems that the storm may cause.

Deputy Prime Minister Lê Văn Thành, head of the National Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, chaired an urgent meeting on Thursday afternoon with authorities of the central provinces of Quảng Trị, Thừa Thiên Huế, Đà Nẵng, Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi and Bình Định, to guide measures to cope with the storm. — VNS