HÀ NỘI — Tropical storm Sanba formed late Sunday is expected to reach the Philippines on Tuesday and enter East Sea during Tết (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) holiday.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, at 7am on Monday, the centre of the storm was some 650km east of the Philippines’ southern coast, with wind speeds of up to 75kmph.

Over the next 24 hours, the storm will continue to strengthen and move west at a speed of some 25kmph.

It is predicted to reach the Philippines’ southern coast on Tuesday morning, with wind speeds of up to 75kmph. On Wednesday morning, it is likely to be 270km from the east of the Philippines’ Palawan Island and will keep moving westward.

On Thursday morning, the eye of the storm will be some 450km to the east of Trường Sa Island, with wind speeds of 60-75kmph, sometimes up to over 100kmph.

Given the current forecast, Sanba is set to become the second storm to hit Vietnamese waters this year. It could pose threats to southeast Việt Nam during Tết holidays, the main festival in the country, which fall this week.

The first storm in 2018 - Bolaven, formed on January 3 - was predicted to hit southern Việt Nam but weakened offshore shortly after entering the East Sea. Last year, 16 tropical storms hit the country.

Warm Tết

The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has predicted a warm Tết for the northern provinces as the cold spell weakens from Tuesday.

In Hà Nội, the temperature on Friday - the first day of the Lunar New Year - is expected to reach 23 degree Celcius, with a cloudy yet warm weather. For the first four days of the new year, it will be warm in Hà Nội, with a maximum temperature of 26 degree Celsius and minimum temperature of 15 degree Celcius. However, February 20, the fifth day of the new year, will be colder.

In HCM City and other southern provinces, it will be cooler during Tết, with a temperature of some 30 degree Celcius.  

In central Đà Nẵng City, the weather in the first four days of the new year will be pleasant, with a temperature of some 25-28 degree Celcius. Rain is predicted on the fifth day and the temperature will drop to 20-23 degree Celcius.

According to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, since the beginning of this year, cold spells in the northern and north central provinces have killed some 4,720 cattle and poultry. The latest cold spell, which started on January 27 and is expected to end on Tuesday, has killed over 2,100 cattle and poultry. — VNS