Residents of Thành Bình Thọ Commune in Nghệ An Province recorded the largest hailstones ever to fall there. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Hailstorms accompanied by thunderstorms, tornadoes and lightning from Saturday evening through Monday morning left 12 people injured and damaged thousands of homes, causing significant losses across northern and central provinces.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the three-day spell of extreme weather affected a wide range of localities, including Điện Biên, Lai Châu, Lào Cai, Cao Bằng, Tuyên Quang, Phú Thọ, Thái Nguyên, Hà Nội, Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh.

Citing reports from local authorities, the ministry’s Department of Dike Management and Disaster Prevention said that as of 11.30am Monday, 12 people had been injured. Of these, five injuries were reported in Thái Nguyên Province and seven in Tuyên Quang Province.

A total of 2,875 houses were damaged or had their roofs torn off. Thái Nguyên was the hardest hit, with 1,382 houses affected, followed by Nghệ An (750), Phú Thọ (376), Tuyên Quang (159), Lào Cai (116), Điện Biên (53), Hà Tĩnh (48) and Cao Bằng (5).

Residents of Thành Bình Thọ Commune in Nghệ An Province replace roof tiles shattered by hail. VNA/VNS Photo Văn Tý

As for agriculture, about 11,778ha of rice and crops were damaged. The central provinces of Hà Tĩnh and Nghệ An recorded the most severe losses, at 5,827ha and 3,651ha respectively. Other affected areas included Điện Biên (771ha), Thái Nguyên (764ha), Tuyên Quang (342ha), Hà Nội (307ha) and Lào Cai (116ha).

As of midday Monday, 16 schools had lost their roofs, including 14 in Thái Nguyên and two in Tuyên Quang, while six community cultural houses were also damaged, including four in Thái Nguyên, one in Phú Thọ and one in Nghệ An.

The storms also knocked down 102 electricity poles and damaged or eroded 100m of embankment in Phú Thọ and Nghệ An.

In Nghệ An, lightning struck a storage tank at Sông Lam Sugar Joint Stock Company, causing 2,000 tonnes of molasses to spill.

Authorities are continuing to assess and compile damage reports.

Hundreds of hectares of rice and crops flattened and damaged by hail and strong winds. VNA/VNS Photo

Head of weather forecasting at the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting Nguyễn Văn Hưởng said the storms were triggered by a convergence zone at around 5,000m altitude moving from upper Laos into Việt Nam. The system moved from west to east, rather than the more typical north-to-south pattern.

According to Vũ Anh Tuấn, deputy head of the centre’s weather forecasting division, thunderstorms accompanied by strong lightning and localised hail are typical during the seasonal transition period in northern Việt Nam, when atmospheric conditions are favourable for strong convective development.

Dr Trương Bá Kiên, deputy executive director of the Meteorological and Climate Research Centre under the Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Climate Change, described the phenomenon as dangerous but not unexpected, as it had been in the weather forecast and warnings were given in advance.

Looking ahead, he said northern regions should remain on alert for hazardous weather, such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, lightning, strong gusts and localised hail, as unstable conditions in the transition season continue.

Deputy head of climate forecasting at the national centre Nguyễn Đức Hòa also warned that dangerous weather events are likely to occur nationwide this month, with higher frequency in the north, Central Highlands and southern regions.

Amid increasingly complex and extreme weather patterns driven by climate change, authorities and residents are advised to closely monitor short-term forecasts and integrate warnings into production plans and response measures to ensure safety. — VNS