Residents in Quảng Trị clean up after Storm Wutip. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Storm Wutip, the first named storm of the season, has set multiple records as the first typhoon in more than four decades to form in the East Sea during June, and the first since 1952 to trigger extreme rainfall across the central region.

According to the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, unprecedented rainfall was recorded from southern Hà Tĩnh to Quảng Nam, with totals ranging from 250mm to 550mm and some locations even surpassing 800mm.

At Bạch Mã station in Huế, rainfall over three days reached 1,203mm, the highest level ever recorded for June.

In a highly unusual development, 32 monitoring stations recorded over 200mm of rain within a six-hour period. 

Lộc Trì station in Huế saw 319.4mm in six hours, a rare and extreme event for this time of year.

The storm’s circulation brought an early and unusually intense flood between June 11 and 14, impacting rivers from the southern province of Quảng Bình to the central province of Quảng Nam.

Peak water levels ranged from alarm level 2 to 3, with some rivers, including the Thạch Hãn and Bồ, exceeding the highest flood alerts at 6m and 4.5m over typical water levels, respectively. These were the highest flood levels recorded in June over the past 30 years, marking what authorities have called a historic flood event.

Meteorologists have warned that the impact of Storm Wutip signals a shift in seasonal weather patterns to increasingly extreme climate conditions, with traditional rules and timelines no longer applying.

As of 6 am on Monday, authorities reported nine deaths from the impacts of the storm: four in Quảng Bình, three in Quảng Trị and two in Huế.

Property damage included five collapsed houses in Quảng Nam and damage to 94 others, mostly in Hà Tĩnh and Huế.

Flooding submerged nearly 60,000ha of crops, with the worst-hit areas being Quảng Trị, Huế and Quảng Bình.

In aquaculture, over 2,300ha of fish farms were lost. Quảng Bình Province alone tallied 1,636ha damaged, and 324 fish cages were destroyed.

Eight fishing vessels sank or were damaged, including five in Đà Nẵng. — VNS